The Australia Awards Hadi Soesastro Prize

Media release

24 February 2014

I am proud to announce that Mr Bimo Wijayanto and Ms Diana Setiyawati have been awarded the inaugural Australia Awards Hadi Soesastro Prize.

The annual prize recognises the work of Indonesian academics completing their doctorates in Australia with the aim of developing young leaders and promoting people-to-people and educational links between our two countries.

Mr Wijayanto and Ms Setiyawati were awarded the prize for their contributions in the fields of economics and psychology respectively. The Australian Government will provide up to $25,000 for each recipient to undertake post-doctoral work to deepen their expertise.

The prize is awarded in honour of eminent Indonesian economist Professor Hadi Soesastro, a great friend of Australia who left a lasting legacy in the field of economics and Asia-Pacific cooperation.

Professor Soesastro had abiding links to the Australian National University in particular. His son Albert Soesastro and friends, including Professor Hal Hill, Professor Peter Drysdale, and Professor Ross Garnaut attended today's event on his behalf.

Australia invests in two complementary scholarship schemes to support the significant education cooperation and people-to-people links between Australia and Indonesia: the Australia Awards and the New Colombo Plan.

With 3,000 scholarships awarded between 2007 and 2012 the Australia Awards support emerging leaders in the Asia-Pacific to study in Australia.

The New Colombo Plan, a signature initiative of this government, aims to increase the number of Australian students studying and engaging in the Asia-Pacific region.