Portfolio — 14 July 2026

The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Thistlethwaite, travelled to Jakarta on 13 July and launched Katalis 2.0 the following day alongside Indonesia's Vice Minister of Trade, Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, marking the next operational phase of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership [TA-260713-dfat-fbac97496d24]. The launch is the centrepiece of a short bilateral visit designed to translate IA-CEPA's framework commitments into measurable commercial outcomes.

Mr Thistlethwaite pointed to three concrete results from the original Katalis program as evidence of the approach working: Indonesian cocoa exports to Australia have tripled, the digital-trust firm Privy has entered the Australian market, and Indonesian nurses are now undertaking Australian-accredited aged-care training through Living Well Seniors Communities [TA-260713-dfat-02e83b85e0d5].

The aged-care training link is notable as a cross-portfolio connection, touching both the Foreign Affairs and aged-care workforces agendas simultaneously. On people mobility, Mr Thistlethwaite highlighted that business visitor visas were extended to five years in 2024 and that a new frequent-traveller stream has been created for Indonesians — measures that sit partly within the immigration portfolio but were cited here squarely in the trade-facilitation context [TA-260713-dfat-02e83b85e0d5].

Katalis 2.0's stated portfolio approach is to broaden the beneficiary base: the program explicitly targets small and medium-sized enterprises, women-led businesses, and other under-represented groups, signalling that the government is using IA-CEPA implementation as a vehicle for inclusive trade outcomes, not only headline export volumes [TA-260713-dfat-02e83b85e0d5].

The Jakarta launch was announced simultaneously through a ministerial speech on the ground and a media release in Canberra, a coordination pattern consistent with high-priority bilateral messaging. The two-day Jakarta visit — bilateral engagement on 13 July followed by the Katalis 2.0 launch on 14 July — presents as a deliberate sequencing: relationship-building first, then the programmatic announcement, giving the launch diplomatic weight beyond a routine program update.