Policies 2 - Indonesia at Melbourne

Indonesian prisons are going green. Here’s how to make it work.

For the Correctional Services Roadmap 2025-2045 to have any real prospect of producing greener, safer and more effective prisons, an urgent rewrite is needed.

Prabowo walks a fine line in responding to the Mideast crisis

Analysis, Foreign Policy, Policies

The unilateral attack by the United States and Israel on Iran that risks a costly regional war in the Middle East has raised scrutiny over Jakarta’s move to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), which critics saw as aligning too closely with Washington.

Will Indonesia ever fully embrace its ‘cultural citizens’ worldwide?

Analysis, Policies, Society

Many in the diaspora, particularly those without Indonesian passports, feel that government initiatives to engage the diaspora, including the Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI), do not address core concerns such as property rights, political participation, and full recognition of their enduring ties to Indonesia.

A specific gig worker protection law for Indonesia?

Analysis, Law, Policies

At present, gig workers are excluded from coverage under the general labour law. The principle that they are ‘mitra’ (partners, or ‘independent contractors’), and not employees, is rooted in the basic definitions of employment under Indonesian law. In the meantime, there have been some ad hoc attempts to regulate app-based motorcycle taxi drivers by the Ministry of Transportation, including by setting minimum tariffs.

Aurelie’s ‘broken strings’: Indonesia needs to criminalise child grooming and coercive control

Analysis, Law, Policies

Aurelie’s story should serve as a catalyst for improving child protection law in Indonesia. There are emerging forms of violence, such as grooming and coercive control, that still lack clear definitions and legal protection.

Performative governance: why Raja Ampat still under serious threat from nickel mining

Environment, Policies

Sacrificing ecosystems and people for projected growth in demand for nickel driven by energy transition is unjustifiable. The government must, therefore, provide full and permanent protection for Raja Ampat, as well as for other vulnerable and significant ecosystems, such as small islands.

Talking Indonesia: Jakarta water crisis

Policies, Talking Indonesia

Jakarta is said to be in a water crisis. This is a familiar claim that has been repeated for years as parts of the city sink, groundwater is over-extracted, and access to clean water remains uneven. Yet what, precisely, is the crisis that Jakarta is facing?

Soeharto’s sons and national cars: time for Bambang, not Tommy, to shine under New Order redux?

Analysis, Policies

Bambang Trihatmodjo may be the only cast member of the 1990s-era national car episode to also have a starring role in Prabowo’s national car program.

Should Prabowo declare the Sumatra flood a national disaster? And does it really matter?

Analysis, DIsaster, Policies

When disaster status is discretionary, and criteria are not publicly articulated, decisions can appear opaque, even when they are lawful. At a minimum, the public deserves clarity about the factors that are considered when a decision is made about whether a disaster is national or not

Posted in: Policies