Indonesia-Australia relations in the era of democracy: the view from the Indonesian side

Despite the fact that much has been written about the relationship between Indonesia and Australia with emphasis on the role of government, little has been done in terms of examining Indonesia's changing domestic politics and the role of non-state actors in maintaining the bilateral relations between the two countries. With the emergence of democratic governments in Indonesia since 1998, there has been an increasing public interest in Indonesia in debating the complexity and the importance of this bilateral relationship. This article examines the deepening of democracy under the Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) government and its impact on Indonesia's foreign policy towards Australia.