He said that the Melbourne Export Community, which was inaugurated in collaboration with the Indonesian Student Association (PPI Global), is expected to become a center for information, education, and export facilities for the Indonesian diaspora in Australia.
"This community is expected to increase market knowledge and accelerate export penetration of Indonesian products," Setiawan added in a statement released by his office on Friday.
According to him, the formation of the Melbourne Export Community is a concrete step for Indonesian students in Australia toward creating a collective movement to support the business activities of beginner exporters.
One of the conveniences that the Melbourne Export Community will receive is support from business actors, Setiawan said.
Meanwhile, head of the strengthening division of PPI Global, Amelia Devi Prasanti, said Indonesian students abroad have great potential to become export ambassadors and open trade cooperation networks between Indonesia and other countries.
"Indonesia has around 80 thousand students spread across 65 countries in the world. This is not a small number. PPI Global aims to help these students to become part of the acceleration of national exports, one of which is through the formation of an export community in Melbourne," she added.
Coordinator of the Melbourne Export Community and a master's student at the University of Melbourne, Taufiqurrahman Ali, said that the community will be used by Indonesian students in Australia to exchange information about export procedures and to work together to look for potential contacts or buyers.
The inauguration of the community is a follow-up to the export ambassador activities carried out with Deputy Minister of Trade, Jerry Sambuaga, in Canberra some time ago.
In the January–November 2023 period, the total value of the bilateral trade between Indonesia and Australia reached US$11.23 billion. Indonesia's exports to Australia were valued at US$2.85 billion while its imports from Australia amounted to US$8.37 billion.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia G P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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