Australian Delegates

Balawyn Jones is a PhD Candidate at the Asian Law Centre and Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, Melbourne Law School. She researches across the fields of Indonesian law and human rights, in particular with respect to gender, religion and law. She has an interest in the protection of women’s rights in developing jurisdictions and her doctoral thesis examines criminal justice responses to domestic violence. Prior to joining Melbourne Law School, she worked as an Associate to the Federal Court and as the pro bono Legal Clinic Coordinator at Strategic Advocacy Human Rights (NGO).

Drew Ambrose currently presents and produces documentaries across the Asia-Pacific for Al Jazeera English. As a foreign correspondent he has reported from more than thirty countries. When he was just 21, Drew was the first reporter sent to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Jakarta Bureau for the Australia Network. At SBS Television, Drew produced the first ever overseas episode of the show “Insight” in Indonesia after the second Bali bombing in 2005. In Jakarta, he has trained cameramen and journalists for KBR68H and the School of Broadcast Media. His work has won a number of journalism awards including the New York Festival Gold Medal, Melbourne Press Club Quill, Asian Human Rights Press Award, the United Nations Media Peace Award and a Young Walkley He has studied Bahasa Indonesia since high school. Drew lives in Kuala Lumpur.

Ms Coates is a 2016 Policy Graduate at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). She has completed placements in Security Operations Branch, Canada and Latin America Branch, and Development Policy and Education Branch. She holds a Masters of International Security (2011) and a Bachelor of Arts (2009) from the University of Sydney. She undertook an internship at the Lowy Institute for International Policy working on the importance of social media in the Arab Uprisings. Before working at DFAT, Ms Coates worked as a Research Assistant at the National Security College, ANU (2011) and as a Senior Analyst at the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore (2012-14) where her research focused on lone actor terrorism and inter-religious violence in Myanmar involving Rohingya. She has published ANU Occasional papers on collaborative leadership in the Australian national security community and has written opinion pieces on Australia-Indonesia relations in The Australian.

Francisco Widjojo is based in the Sydney office of global law firm Baker McKenzie, specialising in corporate law.

Prior to his legal career, Francisco worked in Business Development at PT. Ultra Sakti, a fast-growing Indonesian pharmaceuticals company headquartered in Jakarta and maker of the popular FreshCare®, HOTIN® and Madu TJ® products. He built key relationships for the company in the United States and Australia, and also conducted deep dives into frontier tech trends.

Francisco holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney, and also conducted parts of his tertiary studies in Hong Kong and London. He is a member of the Indonesian diaspora, being raised in Australia to Indonesian immigrants. Francisco has also published a peer-reviewed journal article entitled “Microfinance in Australia: Is the Law Doing Enough to Address Financial Exclusion?” in the Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice.

I have had the privilege of working in Indonesia for the telkomtelstra joint venture, a business formed by two large telecommunications companies, Telkom and Telstra. There I primarily worked to bring Telstra’s sales experience in to Indonesia. I was also fortunate to work on an initiative between the two companies and the respective embassies to drive stronger intercultural relationships through employee immersion.
My primary interest is to foster healthier perceptions of the relationship between the two countries, and in particular, leverage new perceptions to bring more Australian businesses confidently to Indonesian shores.
My background in journalism, where I focused on foreign affairs and politics, also drives my interest in the Australia-Indonesia relationship. I have an interest in payments technologies, and my current role with Telstra in Melbourne focuses on the banking and financial services industries. I’m incredibly excited to work together on creating renewed energy in the Australia-Indonesia relationship.

Max Walden is a journalist based between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur with Asian Correspondent. He was formerly a research assistant with the Sydney Asia Pacific Migration Centre on a project focused on Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers. Max has also worked in the refugee and international development sectors, including spending a year living in remote Indonesian West Borneo.

Monty is a diplomat who has served in the political team of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta since 2014. He has covered key issues in the bilateral relationship including counter terrorism and people smuggling. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2011 and in 2012 was a member of the team in New York that led Australia’s successful campaign for a term on the UN Security Council.

Before joining DFAT, Monty worked at Hordern House, an internationally renowned dealer of rare books and paintings, and interned at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. He studied at the University of Sydney and the University of Damascus. Working in Jakarta has been a career highlight and Monty will never tire of exploring the archipelago or a good nasih campur.

I am one of two lecturers of Indonesian Studies at Charles Darwin University. I teach Indonesian language, and next year as part of a new Indonesian Extended Major, I will teach Indonesian politics and social studies. I also help coordinate the in-country program in Lombok and Kupang. My interest in Indonesia began during a high school excursion to Bali in September 1998. In 2000, I lived Bali for a semester as an exchange student. At university, my undergraduate and honours degrees focused on politics, history and Indonesian language. In 2014, I successfully completed my PhD on Political Islam in Indonesia. In Lamongan, East Java, research concentrated on two Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as case studies; one from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and one from Muhammadiyah. I examined the political culture and worldview of pesantren headmasters (kyai), and how kyai influence the social identity and voting habits of the local community.

Negah is a diplomat at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. As Second Secretary, Negah leads the embassy’s work on bilateral maritime cooperation; an increasingly important pillar of the bilateral relationship. Negah has created new avenues for maritime cooperation in areas such as combating illegal fishing and reducing marine pollution. Negah leads Australia’s engagement on tourism and financial services issues. She coordinates Australia’s economic diplomacy strategy in Indonesia.

Negah has previously worked in various parts of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including: the Iran and Levant desk, the G20 Section, and the Office of Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls. She was a member of Australia’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiating team.

Negah has been a Jakarta resident since 2015 and loves living in Indonesia. Her favourite Indonesian pastimes include finding good street food in Jakarta’s bustling neighbourhoods, dodging traffic on gojeks and learning the intricacies of Bahasa Jakarta.

Prashant works at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. He is based in Jakarta, Indonesia having previously worked with the Group in Sydney, Australia. As part of his work, he facilitates financing for companies looking to grow, whilst at the same time creating jobs and wealth for communities.

Prior to joining IFC, Prashant worked in various financial roles at both domestic and international banks. He has also spent time in public policy and was involved in a climate initiative advisory start-up. He is passionate about utilising his finance skills to crowd in private sector players in helping solve development challenges. Prashant holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Studies from the University of New South Wales. In his spare time, he likes travelling, diving and playing tennis.