Fresh off a landslide election victory, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to travel to Indonesia next week, emphasizing what he called a vital partnership between the two nations.

The visit, scheduled for May 14, will take place just one day after his newly re-elected government is sworn in, and it will include talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. “That is … a signal to our region of the importance that we place on this region,” Albanese stated in an interview.

In highlighting the visit, the Australian leader underlined the significance of Indonesia as a regional ally. “We have no more important relationship than Indonesia,” he said, noting the growing economic, defense, and security ties between the two nations. “They will grow to be the fourth-largest economy in the world.”

Describing President Subianto as “a good friend of mine on a personal level as well as our countries being close,” Albanese’s early travel plans mark a return to traditional diplomacy, where incoming Australian prime ministers typically make Indonesia their first bilateral visit.

This contrasts with his election opponent, Peter Dutton of the conservative Liberal Party, who had suggested shifting this tradition. Dutton had proposed making the United States his first overseas stop to negotiate a new tariff arrangement with U.S. President Donald Trump. The move was framed around countering a 10% global minimum tariff that recently hit Australian exports, despite the long-standing free trade relationship between the two countries.

During the campaign, concerns about regional security also flared following media reports that Russia had requested permission to base long-range warplanes in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province. Indonesian officials reassured Canberra that “no such Russian base would be allowed,” a point that factored into Australia’s heightened interest in reaffirming ties with Jakarta.

Jakarta Remains Key Foreign Policy Priority

Policy experts say Albanese’s decision underscores a strategic need.

“Indonesia is our closest strategic partner in the region. Visiting again is just sending that message home that Indonesia really matters to Australia and that we have to work together, given our proximity as emerging middle-powers in the region.”
Natalie Sambhi, a foreign policy analyst with Asia Society Australia

Albanese’s center-left Labor Party secured its second consecutive three-year term over the weekend, making him the first Australian prime minister in 21 years to achieve this feat. As his government tightens its grip on power, Albanese is also expected to meet President Trump during a separate U.S. state visit in North America, coinciding with his attendance at the upcoming G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada, in June.

During the campaign, Labor aggressively distanced itself from conservative politics, branding Dutton’s camp as “DOGE-y Dutton”—a jab at the opposition’s alleged modeling on Trump’s government style. Albanese maintained that his administration was not trying to replicate Washington’s political ethos.

Meanwhile, Dutton’s defeat was decisive. Not only did his coalition fail to secure a majority, but Dutton also lost the parliamentary seat he had held for 24 years. The opposition had attempted to campaign on issues such as energy costs and inflation, blaming “government waste” for rising interest rates. Dutton’s platform proposed slashing over 20% of public service jobs to curb spending.

The two parties did find common ground on the climate crisis, both pledging to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. However, sharp differences emerged over how to get there. Dutton championed nuclear energy, arguing it would offer more affordable electricity compared to renewables. Labor countered that Dutton’s proposal to build seven government-funded nuclear reactors would come at the expense of essential public services. Currently, Australia does not operate any nuclear power facilities.

As Albanese prepares for his diplomatic rounds, observers say his early outreach to Indonesia signals a clear intent: to prioritize regional alliances in Southeast Asia over ideological shifts and to fortify Australia’s standing in a fast-changing global landscape.