Farewell Speech to the Indonesian Fellows of the Australian Indonesian Specialised Training Project in Intellectual Property Rights
At the University of Technology, Sydney
Wednesday, 18 December 1996

Professor Tony Blake,
Professor Philip Griffith,
Indonesian Fellows,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to be joining this final farewell dinner for the participants of the Australian Indonesian Specialised Training Project in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and I thank Professor Griffith for providing me with the opportunity to say a few words of farewell to the participants.

IPR has now become one of the major issues in the world due to the world becoming more globalised, interdependent and technology-based. IPR need to be protected, both nationally and internationally, and countries need to cooperate in the promotion and protection of these rights. This particular kind of course is important in the understanding and promotion of the meaning, function and the role of IPR.

I am therefore pleased that the University of Technology has opened its doors for the training of Indonesian specialists in IPR and we hope that this kind of cooperation can continue in the future. As a developing country, which over the past twenty-five years has made tremendous economic progress and development, Indonesia has also made substantial efforts in IPR (in Indonesian we call it "HAKI - hak atas kekayaan intelektual") by completing the three basic laws on IPR i.e. Law Number 7 of 1987 on Copyrights, Law Number 6 of 1989 on Patent, and Law Number 19 of 1992 on Marks.

Bilaterally, Indonesia has concluded an agreement on IPR with Australia, the United States, Britain and the European Union. Australian-Indonesian cooperation in this field was formalised in 1993 by the ratification of an agreement on the Protection of Property Rights. Recognising the importance of international cooperation, Indonesia, inter alia, ratified the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Convention and the Paris Convention on the Protection of Industrial Property in 1979.

However, like in many other fields, Indonesia still needs more cooperation in this field with more developed countries so as to improve its human resources capable of dealing with the issues arising in the country as well as internationally. In this respect, the most important way for Indonesia to improve and consolidate its human resources base is through education and training. Indonesia's highest priorities today in the education field include the expansion of the educational system, particularly at the junior and senior elementary levels, and the upgrading of its teaching staffs, keeping in mind the requirements of economic growth and the realities of the job market. As a result of the Government's good-will towards education, the national literacy rate has greatly increased during the past two decades. University enrolments have also grown rapidly and the Government predicts that by the year 2000, each year, some 3.9 million students will be earning college degrees.

Indonesia's policy-makers have also begun to redefine the role of Government in education: No longer will it serve as the sole provider of education but will now also assume the role of catalyst for training programs initiated and maintained by the private sector. So we now have a situation where an array of increasingly sophisticated skills-training programmes are being developed by the private sector and more imaginative and focused programmes are being developed by the Government. However, the need for training in more specialised areas is sometimes not available in the country and therefore people have to go to more developed countries, such as Australia to obtain this training. In addition, the Government realises that regulatory agencies and laws need to be improved and in 1989 the Government of Indonesia created an intellectual property rights government regulation on the arrangement of translation and or multiplication of inventions for the purpose of education, science, research and development.

I am doubly happy to be joining you here on the eve of the Christmas celebration and every one of us has sensed that the spirit of Christmas is in the air and this brings to mind the divine words, "peace be on earth and goodwill towards all men". Under this spirit we, regardless of our respective religions, exchange good wishes and envision a better future and harmony for us all and for the excellent relations between our two countries.

I offer my sincere congratulations to all the participants for completing the course and wish you the very best in your endeavours, through which you will be serving Indonesia and the world in an area of vital importance. I hope that all of you can contribute something to the development of IPR in Indonesia, particularly in the application of existing laws, both national and international, as well as in protecting Indonesia's own intellectual properties.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and praise to the Australian Indonesian Specialised Training Project in IPR and the University of Technology for offering such a valuable and practical educational course. It is initiatives, such as these, which help not only sustain the links we now have between our two nations, but also promote better mutual cultural understanding which is crucial for the continued mutually beneficial relations.

Finally, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Thank you.