BINUS UNIVERSITY Receives the Governor of Victoria, Australia

On Tuesday 8th October 2019 BINUS University received the Governor of Victoria, Australia, the Honorary Linda Dessau AC, alongside various other delegates from the Government of Victoria. This visit served as a milestone in the significant developments that have been made in establishing partnerships with universities in the state of Victoria by BINUS University. To complement these various forms of cooperation with Australia’s top universities, the #AussieBanget corner was established with the support of the Embassy of Australia to host ongoing activities and cultural exchanges between Indonesia and Australia of which the Governor of Victoria’s visit was the latest example.

Since 2002, BINUS University has been actively engaged in cultivating close cooperation with leading universities in Australia given its geographical proximity to Indonesia as well as the broad scope for collaboration across a range of academic disciplines in the form of joint research, student exchange, joint degrees and study abroad programs. To date, the university now works in partnership with 6 universities in the area namely Deakin University, Victoria University, RMIT University, Monash University, Australian Catholic University and the Swinburne University of Technology. Collaborations include student exchange with Deakin, Victoria, ACU; study abroad programs with Monash and RMIT; Joint Degree Programs with Deakin for BINUS Games & Application Technology, RMIT for BINUS Computer Science & Business Information System JWC and Joint research with the Swinburne University of Technology for the BINUS Architecture program.

For the visit, the Governor of Victoria was joined by her husband, Mr. Anthony Howard as well as Mr. Brett Stevens, Commissioner to South East Asia, Government of Victoria, Mr. Joshua Puls, Official Secretary to the Governor of Victoria, Mr. Matthew Lowe, Head of Industry Intelligence and Capture Team at DJPR (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions) of Australia and Ms. Tanti Olivia, Government Liaison Director, Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office Indonesia. Their visit began with opening remarks from Vice President of BINUS Higher Education, George Wijaya Hadipoespito, M.Sc., MBA and was followed by remarks from the Honorary Linda Dessau AC. This was followed by a visit to the #AussieBanget corner, a guest lecture session by the Governor as well as a question and answer session.

The #AussieBanget corner initiative by the Embassy of Australia serves to encourage the spirit of discovery among Indonesian students to foster their interest in studying in Australia and cultural exchanges. Activities with partners from the state of Victoria include guest lectures and seminars for students as well as academic staff, sharing sessions with Deakin and Monash alumni and movie screenings at the Embassy such as of award-winning Indonesian short movies during the Melbourne International Film Festival.

With trade relations between Indonesia and Australia growing closer following the signing of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in March 2019, BINUS University’s partnerships with Australian universities provide its students with the chance to gain cultural exposure as well as accredited qualifications to a strategic neighbour with which two way trade value reached $16.8 billion for 2017-18. BINUS University will continue to strengthen its links with universities in Australia so as to provide its students with invaluable opportunities that enhance their competitiveness for the local and global job market.