The 9pm Australia’s Most Important Relationship is with Indonesia with Erin Cook

A white woman with her long brown hair tied back wears a yellow and black top, sunglasses, and a smile like the Mona Lisa. Behind her stretches out a view of a tropical landscape and, eventually, the ocean. It’s Erin Cook!
Journalist Erin Cook towers above South-East Asia. (Photo: Supplied)

Let’s kick off the Edict‘s mid-2025 series with a look at Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, because Jakarta was the first international city prime minister Anthony Albanese visited after his re-election. Our special guest is journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia.

Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dari Mulut ke Mulut, an English-language summary of what’s happening in the region, and an occasional newsletter specifically on the Australia-Indonesia relationship, Flat White, Kopi Susu.

In this episode we talk about Albo’s meeting with Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto back on 15 May. But we also discuss that weird drama over a supposed Russian airforce base in Papua, the long-running Cambodian–Thai border dispute, the decline of specialists journalism, crafting and what counts as copying someone’s work, discipline, and horseback adventures.

Oh yeah, and we talk about the presidential cat. Bobby Kertanegara is his name.

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CONVERSATION TOPICS: Joanna Forbes, Peter Viertel, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.

THREE TRIGGER WORDS: Bernard Walsh, Paul Williams, and Peter Lieverdink.

WE WILL, WE WILL JUDGE YOU, part of Another Untitled Music Podcast: Bic Smith, Gavin Costello, stabfish, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.

ONE TRIGGER WORD: Andrew Best, Ashley Walsh, Bic Smith, David Porteous, Frank Filippone, Jamie Morrison, Jim Campbell, Kym Yeap, Mark Newton, Michael, Mindy Johnson, Miriam Faye, Nicole Coombe, Oliver Townshend, Peter Blakeley, Peter McCrudden, Peter Wickins, Ric Hayman, Stephen Collins, Tom Carding, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.

PERSONALISED VIDEO MESSAGE: Briala Bowmer.

PERSONALISED AUDIO MESSAGE: Kimberley Heitman, KO Hall, and Matt Arkell.

FOOT SOLDIERS FOR MEDIA FREEDOM who gave a SLIGHTLY LESS BASIC TIP: Andrew B, Craig Askings, Errol Cavit, James Henstridge, Lindsay, Lucas James, Peter Blakeley, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.

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And another seven people who chose to have no reward at all, even though some of them were the most generous of all. Thank you all so much. You know who you are.

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