Innovating the Australian law school: the Indonesia Law, Governance and Culture Program

Australia’s ability to interact with the Asia-Pacific region to its immediate north has been depleted over the past three decades. Swinburne Law School sought to challenge this trend. It prioritised Asia, and particularly Indonesia, through its Indonesia Law, Governance and Culture Program (2017-22). This program created short- and long-term educational activities for Swinburne’s law students. The goal was to allow legal education to better prepare Australian lawyers, government officials, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and academics to operate within a globalised legal environment. Problems and opportunities spill over borders and legal education needs to recognise this reality. This article reviews this educational program and its impact on law students’ education, and considers opportunities to make it scalable.