ABSTRACT
From a realist perspective, Indonesia is the key to Australia’s defence. It commands the nation’s Northern approaches from which or through which any military attack on Australia would be launched. A stable and friendly Indonesia is therefore crucial for Australia’s security. From a common security perspective, there are added (or perhaps alternative) reasons for fostering good relations with Jakarta. Indonesia is the key to any wider multi-lateralist strategies for creating regional order. Indonesia is the dominant power in ASEAN, and this group is both the core of the ASEAN Regional Forum and the pioneer of the modalities for cooperation adopted by APEC. As has been indicated, since the 1980s Indonesia’s forcible annexation of East Timor had support from the leaderships of both the major political parties. The decision by the Howard government to overturn this bi-partisan legacy was the most significant development in policy towards the Asia Pacific region and especially towards Indonesia since the Vietnam War. This chapter provides the context for that decision by considering the longer narrative of Australia-Indonesia relations, devoting particular attention to the crucial 1974-75 period.
