Records 1982

Following visits to Indonesia by the Deputy Chief Minister in October 1980, and by the Chief Minister in March 1981, a trade delegation from Indonesia led by Vice Admiral Abdul Kadir, Director General of Trade and Cooperatives, visited the Northern Territory (NT) in October 1981.

As a result of this visit, the Indonesian Government invited the NT Government to send a delegation to Surabaya to participate in a joint working group meeting to discuss the development of trade between Indonesia and the NT.

A delegation of NT Government officers attended the first joint working group meeting in Surabaya from 5 to 7 January 1982. 

The aims of the meeting were to:

• explore the prospects for developing two-way trade with Indonesia which would complement economic development
• keep close government-to-government contact with central and regional trade officers in the Indonesian Government
• investigate means of developing rail, road, air and sea transport facilities linking Australian markets and sources of supply to Indonesia through Darwin
• arrange a regular program of visits by business entrepreneurs and Government officials to facilitate two-way trade.

Topics covered by the working group discussions were:

• transport and general trade policy including air freight, shipping, road and rail transport
• livestock and livestock products including cattle, buffalo, beef, cattle hides and goats
• building materials, industrial products and joint ventures
• timber products for importation to the Northern Territory
• Cabinet was provided with a report on the proceedings of the first Indonesian-Northern Territory Joint Working Party meeting in Surabaya for noting.

Read the Cabinet decision - submission number 1875 and decision number 2215 of 12 March 1982 PDF (2.5 MB).