Indonesia and Australia Agree on Joint Security Priorities at Jakarta Talks
Indonesia and Australia adopted a joint communique at their 12th Ministerial Council Meeting on Law and Security in Jakarta on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The agreement sets out commitments on maritime and border security, terrorism, transnational crime and cybersecurity, alongside a broader effort to strengthen their strategic partnership.
From commitments to joint operations
The delegations met at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Kompas.com reported. Their bilateral session was closed to the press, according to Tribunnews.com.
Tribunnews reported that the communique gives priority to operational cooperation: coordinating patrols, sharing intelligence among law-enforcement agencies, and taking integrated action against human-trafficking networks and online scam centers.
Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said the document would guide practical follow-up on legal and security issues affecting both countries, according to ANTARA. He described cooperation with Australia as important to improving coordination and capacity as security challenges become more complex.
Dudung said no country could address those challenges on its own. He called for close communication and cooperation, and said he wanted the agreement to lead to action that improves public security and serves the interests of both countries and the wider region.
Scam centers and cybersecurity
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said organized crime, including scam centers, featured in the talks. He described cooperation with Indonesia as essential to disrupting that criminal activity.
The two countries have already worked together against scams. According to Kompas.id, their cooperation through Operation Riverton uncovered a boiler-room operation that targeted more than 300 Australians, with estimated losses of more than 28 million Australian dollars.
The report also described Operation Firestorm, which Australia's federal police have run since August 2024. That operation coordinates efforts against overseas scam centers through intelligence exchanges and joint operations with authorities in Thailand and the Philippines.
Citing Australia's National Anti-Scam Centre, Kompas.id reported that Australians' total reported scam losses amounted to 2.18 billion Australian dollars in 2025, up 7.8 percent from the previous year.
On cybersecurity, Burke urged both countries to use cutting-edge technology and their strongest available capabilities. He said that effort should be supported by an increasingly close partnership and a friendship that strengthens each year.
Burke said the meeting had improved security and protection for people in both countries. He also expressed confidence that it would reinforce each country's sovereignty in law and security.
A new Indonesian co-chair
Dudung co-chaired the meeting for Indonesia less than a month after taking office. He was sworn in as coordinating minister on October 1, 2026, succeeding Djamari Chaniago, according to ANTARA News Jawa Timur. Before that appointment, he headed the Presidential Staff Office.
The council's previous meeting, its 11th, took place in Jakarta on January 28, 2026. Djamari and Burke co-chaired that session, according to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. It too ended with a joint communique, ANTARA News reported.
Eight countries to join regional talks
The series of meetings continues on Friday, October 23, with the 7th Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Security. Eight countries are due to attend the forum, which is intended to advance regional cooperation against terrorism and cross-border crime and support regional safety and stability.