Jakarta, Sept. 24 -- In the lecture hall of the Australian National University (ANU), former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans opened the 42nd Indonesia Update on September 12th by highlighting that Australia continues to see Indonesia as its single most important partner.

Yet, he observed that Indonesia may not always place Australia at the same level of strategic priority.

This raises a critical question: Are Australian leaders setting expectations too high, or is Indonesia simply managing a far broader foreign policy agenda?

With Jakarta's focus spread across its economic engagement with major powers, and its expanding global role through platforms such as the G20, BRICS, and its ongoing OECD accession process, Australia, des...