Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
Indonesian President Prabowo visits Australia. Will PM Albanese raise West Papua?
Barring any last minute changes, the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, will visit Australia on Wednesday 12 November. His first visit to Australia since taking office. His last visit was in August 2024 as Defence Minister.
2024 visit (Photo Jakarta Post) President-elect Prabowo Subianto meets with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, August 20, 2024. (Reuters/AAP Image/Mick Tsikas )
Joe Collins of AWPA said, "we are going to hear the usual statements about how our relationship/friendship with Indonesian is one of our most important”.
From PM Albanese media release (11 November 2025)
“Australia and Indonesia share a deep trust and unbreakable bond as neighbours, partners and friends. Together we are committed to working for a secure, stable and prosperous Indo‑Pacific.
“I look forward to building on our previous discussions about how we can develop the strength and depth of our bilateral relationship.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/visit-australia-president-republic-indonesia
Collins said, "Although improving trade will be the number one topic in the talks, we can be sure the usual issues of defence ties, terrorism and security in the region will also be on the agenda”.
"The one issue that won’t be discussed will be the human rights situation in West Papua”.
There will be no mention of the massacre of 15 West Papuans on the 15 October 2025 during a security force operation in Soanggama Village in the Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua. During the military operation the security forces conducted house to house searches and opened fire in an indiscriminate fashion resulting in 15 deaths. The massacre was condemned by civil society, church groups throughout the region
and by Sen Lida Thorpe (Victoria).
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansards/28876/&sid=0126
There will be no mention that there are more than 102,966 Internally displaced people in West Papua due to Indonesian security force operations or that there are ongoing human rights abuses committed by the security forces in the terrority.
No mention of the fact that the TNI arrest and torture West Papuans”.
And
no mention of the fact that Prabowo was dismissed from the Indonesian army in 1998 for kidnapping student activists or that he has been accused of involvement in human rights abuses in East Timor and West Papua, accusations that Prabowo has denied.
Joe Collins said, "we have been told in replies to our letters (to DFAT) that the Australia Government does raise the human rights situation in West Papua with Indonesia, however, we have yet to see any public statements from the Government on the issue.
As West Papuan National Flag day approaches, 1st December, supporters around the world will be raising the unfree flag of West Papua in a show of solidarity with the West Papuan people. A reminder to governments and in particular to the Australia Government the issue is not going away.
West Papuan supporters in Sydney raise flag 1 Dec. last year
Ends
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