Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Andrew Catton
The Language at the End of Our Street
The students who will negotiate Australia’s future with Indonesia are currently in Year 7. What are we giving them? The case for teaching Indonesian in Australian schools has never been stronger. Enrolments have never been lower. There is a word in Indonesian – selamat – that resists a single translation. On its own, it means congratulations. Paired with datang, it welcomes you, with the quiet implication of a safe arrival.
Rebuilding Asia Capability Begins in the Classroom
When the federal parliament announced its inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia through the Education System and Beyond, it marked an important opportunity to rethink what regional literacy means in practice. The question is not simply whether Australians value Asia, but how well we understand it — through language, culture, and the everyday exchanges that form genuine connection. Among the Asian languages taught in Australia, Indonesian offers a particularly useful case study.
What the Growth of Indigenous Languages Can Teach Us About Supporting Indonesian in Schools
As Indonesian quietly fades from many schools, Indigenous languages are gaining ground in NSW. This shows that targeted policy, community input, and system signals can influence language program success—and what that might mean for Indonesian. Over the past decade, Aboriginal language programs in NSW have gone from being virtually invisible to achieving notable growth. In 2013, just 444 secondary students in Years 7–9 were enrolled in an Indigenous language. By 2023, that number had risen to 2,555.
From Sate to Sour: Why Indonesian Studies Lose Flavour After Year Eight - Australian Institute of International Affairs
More and more Australian high school students are turning away from Indonesian as an elective subject. Action should be taken to reverse this trend. Australia’s future connection with Indonesia may depend on effective teaching materials. We cannot fully strengthen our relationship with one of our most strategically vital neighbours without a workforce equipped to speak its language. One significant factor is a lack of teaching materials that are engaging, level appropriate, and well structured.
Is Teaching Formal Indonesian Still Relevant? - Australian Institute of International Affairs
As students navigate a rapidly evolving linguistic environment, many wonder if the rigid structure of formal Indonesian holds up. Could it be more of a barrier than a bridge in modern Indonesian education? The focus on teaching Bahasa Baku (formal Indonesian) in classrooms has often been met with debate, especially given the diversity of the language as spoken across Indonesia.
Bonded but not Embedded: Trust in Australia-Indonesia Relations - AIIA
An examination of the Keating-Suharto era reveals trusting leadership relations are highly valuable for the development of trust in bilateral relations. However, it also reveals the limitations of bonded trust between leaders to sustain trusting bilateral relations and the need to build embedded trust to ensure a relationship can be resilient to leadership changes and diplomatic crises.
Reading Room: Biography of Indonesian Air Marshall Suryadi Suryadarma - AIIA
In Bapak Angkatan Udara: Suryadi Suryadarma, Adityawarman Suryadarma gives a biographical account of his father’s life and career as the founder of Indonesia’s air force. Air Marshal Suryadi Suryadarma was the inaugural chief of the Indonesian air force and held the post from December 1945 to January 1962.
IA-CEPA: Australia Will Have To Wait - AIIA - Australian Institute of International Affairs
By considering recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has jeopardised the Indonesia-Australia trade deal. Domestic political pressure will preclude Indonesia from signing while Australia is contesting one of the holiest subjects in the Islamic world. In what seemed like a failed attempt to win over voters in the seat of Wentworth, Morrison said that he was open to recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the Australian Embassy.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Andrew
Contact Andrew, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack