Indonesia is changing, Australia's being left behind

Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald · Jul 21, 2026 · 29m

Indonesian language teaching will be extinct in Australia by 2031, warns a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's Asian capability.

Australia talks constantly about the importance of Asia, but is failing to build the skills needed to understand our closest neighbours.

At the same time, Indonesia is on track to become one of the world's largest economies and an increasingly influential power in the region.

So how did Australia get here? And what does it mean for trade, diplomacy, defence and our future relationship with Southeast Asia?

And with China testing missiles in the Pacific, is…