In preparing my chapter for a forthcoming book on 30 years of @acicis.bsky.social, I had occasion to read @mconleytyler.bsky.social et al.’s 2012 volume on the life and career of Australia’s second longest-serving Foreign Minister, Richard Casey: www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianou...

Indonesia cracks me up I swear. So many videos of very intense scary situations, but also a LOT of people having a good time amongst it

Check out this new documentary on the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-49). Al Jazeera released it last weekend to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s declaration of independence on 17 August 1945. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRVk...

In 2023 the number of Year 12 students enrolled in languages in Australian schools declined to a new record low of 7.6%--or roughly 18,000 of Australia’s 237,000 Year 12 students. This is down from 8.2% of the national Year 12 cohort in 2022.

Data released recently by the Western Australian School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) shows that 50 students from nine WA schools sat the Year 12 ATAR examination in Indonesian in 2024--down 22% from 64 students from eleven schools in 2023.

NEW 🇮🇩 Indonesian officials portray drugs as sapping the productive potential of young people—but Louis Plottel's ethnographic research in Aceh asks: in what ways does drug use work *with* the demands of contemporary labour? Supported by @anu-asiapacific.bsky.social www.newmandala.org/indonesias-n...

When it comes to maintaining Australia’s knowledge of its Asian neighbours and cultivation of the next generation of regional area specialists, Australian university administrators are in an invidious position. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmV...

This book is so good! Very heavy on the communist links though 😅 Prabowo and everyone else should read it

"Albanese will present Prabowo with an Australian-made horse bridle and the book Refugees and Rebels – Indonesian Exiles in Wartime Australia by Jan Lingard." www.afr.com/politics/fed... Thoughtful gift choice. Great book.

A modest intervention from @acicis.bsky.social and friends ahead of the Australian election on Saturday. 🗳️ youtu.be/ICtAGh9MBew?...

As Indonesians return to work this morning after last week’s Lebaran holidays, check out this 15 min explainer from Mojok.co about the origins of “THR” (Tunjangan Hari Raya)--the bonus 13th month’s salary that Indonesian employees receive at this time each year: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvJR...

Fantastic podcast episode from the Robert Menzies Institute yesterday. LISTEN: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAuv... Georgina Downer speaks with Deakin University historian David Lowe about his forthcoming book on the history of The Colombo Plan (www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...).

A joy to listen to University of Melbourne students Isabelle and India speak so thoughtfully about their recent semester(s) studying at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia with @acicis.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpA-...

Vivian Rubiyanti Iskandar (b. 1 January 1944) is the first trans person in Indonesia legally recognized as their true gender. Here, she was with Adnan Buyung Nasution, her lawyer, in the West Jakarta District Court. On 11 November 1973, she was legally recognized by the state as a woman. 🧵1/5

Need to check this out. 🤨

“Australia’s security requires the use of many tools of statecraft, not just defence...Australia lacks the political will to do something as simple — yet as game-­changing — as making Indonesian language a compulsory school subject.” @mconleytyler.bsky.social in insidestory.org.au/regional-dri...

Extraordinary interview. The history of our region resides in the minds and memories of people like Siauw Tiong Djin, just walking around amongst us. Watch full interview: youtu.be/q3vcg0ACnIg?... What an impressive person.

A new film from Indonesian director Yandy Laurens opened in Indonesian cinemas last week (23 Jan). "1 Kakak 7 Ponakan" (A Brother and 7 Siblings) premiered at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in December last year, and has received rave reviews. WATCH the tralier: youtu.be/LkUsJMFngiI?...

With the holidays well and truly over (sigh), I thought I'd share my favourite summer reads and listens:

The number of Year 12 students in New South Wales who sat the HSC examination in Indonesian fell by a further 3.7% last year according to the latest statistics from the NSW Education Standards Authority (tinyurl.com/5yv6wnc9) from 82 students in 2023 to 79 students in 2024.

You can now read Vannessa Hearman's and Frank Bongiorno's keynotes for free - but be sure to get in quick! The orations are free until until the end of December! Vannessa Hearman: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... Frank Bongiorno: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The trailer for Mouly Surya’s new film “Perang Kota” (The City is a Battlefield) dropped a few days ago. I am so excited to watch this film. youtu.be/wRiQbyy0FXw?...

“The costs of [Australia] being on the winning side have not been felt by us for quite a while…for actually ever." (from 13m27s mark) open.spotify.com/episode/3LpI...

Wow. Exciting news from the world of Indonesian film and television with Leila Chudori's 2012 novel "Pulang" ("Home") being adapted into a feature film in 2025, and a Dutch-Indonesian co-produced limited series from director of 2020 feature film "De Oost" ("The East"). variety.com/2024/film/ne...

Last week I spoke at the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (#LCNAU) colloquium at @sydneyuni.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCWh... I spoke for 10 min about @acicis.bsky.social's efforts to breathe new life into Australia's "Indonesia Literacy".

With @aciciscd.bsky.social on strategies for advancing Indonesian

These are appalling stats. As well as all the obvious bad things about this, learning a language is excellent for what uni managers call 'the student experience' – it's a wonderful way to meet and bond with other students, particularly when learning a language from scratch (an excellent leveller).

As someone who studied a languages degree in Aus, it was only possible because I did French at high school in Belfast. My school in Aus did not offer HSC level French or indeed any other language. But we also have to talk about teaching at university

Huge concern

But sure, let's keep slashing language programs and whittling down class hours within the remaining ones. I'm sure future Australians will have no use for anything other than English...

The study of languages by Australian university students hit a new 23-year low in 2023 with just 1.73% of the nearly 1.1 million domestic students enrolled at Australian universities in 2023 studying a language as part of their degree. This is down from 4.04% in 2005.

My - totally missing the news cycle - article on Albanese’s decision to skip the inauguration www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...