Trade and treaty partners; or friends and neighbours?

We're eighth on Transparency International's corruption perception index, with New Zealand number one. A year ago Indonesia ranked 100. Now it's 118.

Our background is as recent transplants, Judaeo Christian, British democratic, colonial now multicultural. Our independence was granted amicably.

Indonesia's history is ancient with Hindu and Buddhist traditions, feudal, patriarchal and colonised. Liberal Islam dominates. Independence was bravely won only after four years of brutal fighting.

The most significant political event in Australia is asylum seekers. It hardly registers in Indonesia facing an election next year where the concern surrounds quality of candidates.

They tolerate government interference and celebrate community – we praise individualism and personal freedom. In Indonesia inter-faith unions are illegal, de-facto relationships rare. Citizens have to carry ID cards and follow an approved religion. We don't, and won't.

For every one of us there are eleven of them. Population growth rate of just one per cent - sounds manageable? Another baby was born while you read this sentence.

Our friends speak English and live far away in Europe and the US, but we remain in the Anglosphere. Their friends are – well, we don't really know, but fear they're in the Middle East.

We speak the international language. They use a language unrelated to any European tongue and unknown elsewhere

We eat foods based on wheat and milk, and drink alcohol. Often to excess. Their diet is based on rice and water.

Indonesians are on their own from cradle to grave. No Centrelink. The welfare system is the family. Our education and health services are free. Theirs are not.

There are more Muslims in Indonesia than the Middle East – and more Christians in Indonesia than Australians in the world.

Democracy only returned in 1999 with minimal bloodshed. But the purge of the old guard was incomplete. Money politics is rampant, widespread and resistant to change.