TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


Hits from the gong: the Instrument Builders Project

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The Instrument Builders Project was a collaborative initiative that ran from 2010-2014 and involved Australian and Indonesian artists from a diversity of practices and backgrounds. Program co-curator Kristi Monfries reflects on the role of collaboration and experimentation in the artistic process.

Online feminist communities bring sexual violence into the spotlight

,
The shocking gang-rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Bengkulu has galvanised the Indonesian public. PhD candidate Hannah Loney looks at the case and how Indonesian feminists and activists used online spaces to draw critical attention to the issue of sexual violence in the country.

Getting the One Map policy right

,
In February, President Joko Widodo passed a regulation aimed at accelerating the implementation of the One Map policy, which is designed to harmonise all sectoral maps from government agencies into a single map to prevent overlapping claims to land. But as Nanang Indra Kurniawan writes, unless customary claims to land are included, the process is bound to fail.

Talking Indonesia: the national health insurance scheme, JKN

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In 2014, Indonesia launched its comprehensive national health care scheme, the JKN. What impact has it had during its first two years of operations? What policy challenges is the government facing? Dr Dave McRae discusses these issues and more with Professor Hasbullah Thabrany and Professor Laksono Trisnantoro in the latest Talking Indonesia podcast.

Q&A: My Kitchen Rules winners Tasia and Gracia

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Nearly 2 million Australians watched Indonesian-born sisters Tasia and Gracia Seger take out the final of My Kitchen Rules on 26 April. Indonesia at Melbourne spoke to the girls about their approach to cooking and their views on the Australia-Indonesia relationship.

Jokowi: the trials of navigating through oligarchy

,
Jokowi was produced by a decentralised democratic system in which negotiation, including with oligarchs, was necessary for advancement. But now that he is president, he finds that he has nothing to bargain with except his personal popularity. As Professor Vedi Hadiz writes, negotiating with oligarchy may end up eroding the popularity Jokowi needs to negotiate with them in the first place.

Indonesia takes a small but critical step toward reconciliation

,
On 18-19 April, Indonesia held an unprecedented national symposium to discuss the violence of 1965, involving victims, activists, and government and military officials. Associate Professor Katharine McGregor and Dr Jemma Purdey present a detailed analysis of last week's events.

Talking Indonesia: Indonesian cinema

,
Indonesian cinema is beginning to make a mark on the world stage, with dozens of films competing in international festivals over recent years. What are the main challenges faced by Indonesian filmmakers? How can these problems be addressed, and what moves, if any, has the government made to strengthen the industry? Dr Ken Setiawan discusses these issues and more with Dr Gaston Soehadi in the latest Talking Indonesia podcast.

The Kartinis of Kendeng: using motherhood as a form of resistance

,
Nine women from Central Java captured the nation's attention last week when they encased their feet in cement blocks and demanded to meet President Joko Widodo. Hendri Yulius writes that despite the subordination of women in Indonesian society, women and mothers have on several occasions been key drivers of social change.

Hits from the gong: the Instrument Builders Project

,
The Instrument Builders Project was a collaborative initiative that ran from 2010-2014 and involved Australian and Indonesian artists from a diversity of practices and backgrounds. Program co-curator Kristi Monfries reflects on the role of collaboration and experimentation in the artistic process.

Online feminist communities bring sexual violence into the spotlight

,
The shocking gang-rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Bengkulu has galvanised the Indonesian public. PhD candidate Hannah Loney looks at the case and how Indonesian feminists and activists used online spaces to draw critical attention to the issue of sexual violence in the country.

Getting the One Map policy right

,
In February, President Joko Widodo passed a regulation aimed at accelerating the implementation of the One Map policy, which is designed to harmonise all sectoral maps from government agencies into a single map to prevent overlapping claims to land. But as Nanang Indra Kurniawan writes, unless customary claims to land are included, the process is bound to fail.

Talking Indonesia: the national health insurance scheme, JKN

,
In 2014, Indonesia launched its comprehensive national health care scheme, the JKN. What impact has it had during its first two years of operations? What policy challenges is the government facing? Dr Dave McRae discusses these issues and more with Professor Hasbullah Thabrany and Professor Laksono Trisnantoro in the latest Talking Indonesia podcast.

Q&A: My Kitchen Rules winners Tasia and Gracia

,
Nearly 2 million Australians watched Indonesian-born sisters Tasia and Gracia Seger take out the final of My Kitchen Rules on 26 April. Indonesia at Melbourne spoke to the girls about their approach to cooking and their views on the Australia-Indonesia relationship.

Jokowi: the trials of navigating through oligarchy

,
Jokowi was produced by a decentralised democratic system in which negotiation, including with oligarchs, was necessary for advancement. But now that he is president, he finds that he has nothing to bargain with except his personal popularity. As Professor Vedi Hadiz writes, negotiating with oligarchy may end up eroding the popularity Jokowi needs to negotiate with them in the first place.

Indonesia takes a small but critical step toward reconciliation

,
On 18-19 April, Indonesia held an unprecedented national symposium to discuss the violence of 1965, involving victims, activists, and government and military officials. Associate Professor Katharine McGregor and Dr Jemma Purdey present a detailed analysis of last week's events.

Talking Indonesia: Indonesian cinema

,
Indonesian cinema is beginning to make a mark on the world stage, with dozens of films competing in international festivals over recent years. What are the main challenges faced by Indonesian filmmakers? How can these problems be addressed, and what moves, if any, has the government made to strengthen the industry? Dr Ken Setiawan discusses these issues and more with Dr Gaston Soehadi in the latest Talking Indonesia podcast.

The Kartinis of Kendeng: using motherhood as a form of resistance

,
Nine women from Central Java captured the nation's attention last week when they encased their feet in cement blocks and demanded to meet President Joko Widodo. Hendri Yulius writes that despite the subordination of women in Indonesian society, women and mothers have on several occasions been key drivers of social change.
NEWS & EVENTS

TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


EDITOR’S PICKSSee all

Prabowo’s foreign stooge myth: Are Indonesians buying it?

26 May 2026/by Djayadi Hanan, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/djayadi/, Yoes C Kenawas, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/yoes/

Indonesia’s social media ban for under-16s deprives many children of their only public space

19 May 2026/by Pradipa P. Rasidi, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/adip/

The new KUHAP: more kinds of evidence, fewer limits (Part 1 of 2)

12 May 2026/by Simon Butt, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/simon-butt/

Loyalty over expertise: The patronage problem at the heart of Prabowo’s foreign policy

21 April 2026/by Ahmad Syarif Syechbubakr, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/syarif/

Indonesia at Melbourne is supported by:

Melbourne Law School Asia Institute Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society Indonesia Forum Faculty of Arts Indonesia Democracy Hallmark Research Initiative

Indonesia at Melbourne

Room 726, Level 7, 185 Pelham St,
The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010 VIC Australia

Phone: +61 3 83448581

Email:  indo-at-melb@unimelb.edu.au

Date created: 1 July 2015

Editor: Ary Hermawan

Editorial board: 
Professor Tim Lindsey
Dr Tim Mann
Aron Corbett

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated.

Phone:13 MELB (13 6352) | International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
The University of Melbourne ABN:84 002 705 224
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