I love researching Indonesia and sharing the findings with others. Getting this award is a kind of bonus.

Associate Prof Greg Fealy OAM became fascinated with Islam and Indonesia when he attended Monash University. Source: Photo courtesy Associate Prof Greg Fealy OAM.

On Australia Day 2021, Dr Greg Fealy was made a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to tertiary education and to the Australia-Indonesia relationship. Dr Fealy saw the importance of the award in terms of its relevance to Australia Indonesian relations. Why?

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Dr Greg Fealy is associate professor of Indonesian politics and head of the Department of Political and Social Change at the Australian National University.   He describes his feelings about receiving an Australia Day award, and explains his concerns about fewer and fewer Australians studying Indonesia and Indonesia. What will be the impact on the Indonesia-Australia relationship if the trend continues?

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MSO in Indonesia. The Australia-Indonesia relationship is effective in many areas but the declining number of Australians studying Indonesian is worrying. Source: Photo by Australian Embassy Jakarta/Creative Commons.