Indonesia, Australia sign MoU

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry and Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) continued cooperation in capacity-building and management of state civil apparatus (ASN) through signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

“Digital-based governance is our priority at the moment. We hope that the cooperation between APSC and our ministry would continue to be developed,” Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, Abdullah Azwar Anas, said here on Tuesday.

He noted that this cooperation presented a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences for Indonesia and Australia to support priority bureaucratic reform programs.

In addition, this cooperation project was initiated to build the capabilities of Indonesian ASN, particularly regarding human resources (HR), leadership, governance, integrity, transformation, and digital management, he remarked.

“We will encourage our ability in innovation, public service, and digital transformation through the Indonesia-Australia Partnership Program (Prospera),” the minister affirmed.

Meanwhile, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams said ASN, as a public servant, is required to provide better, faster, and more efficient service to citizens and continue to deliver best work.

To this end, Williams expressed happiness over the collaboration between the two countries. She believes that the two agencies could exchange ideas and share experiences and information on challenges regarding their role in the bureaucratic reform sector, ASN capacity, and public services.

“I am pleased with the collaboration and experience sharing between APSC and the ministry’s associations, such as the State Administration Agency (LAN), State Civil Apparatus Commission (KASN), and State Civil Service Agency (BKN),” she stated.

As the first female Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Williams lauded the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform that does not discriminate between genders in terms of leadership. She also supports gender equality and women’s social involvement in the public service sector in Indonesia.

In addition, APSC Commissioner Peter Woolcott said that the collaboration is a visionary step to improve public services and the capabilities of Indonesian ASNs.

“We are ready to share experiences and knowledge about the public sector reform, public services, and digital transformation that has been carried out in Australia,” he stated.

The Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform had collaborated with APSC in 2013 and continued the same in 2018 and ended it in 2021. Meanwhile, the collaboration forged in 2023 will end in 2026.