Ribbon-cutting ceremony by: (from right) Prof. Bambang (Rector of ITS); Dr. Will Lee (Australian Consul General in Surabaya); and Agus Santoso, S.Sos., M.Med.Kom (Head of the ITS Library)

SURABAYA, June 11, 2026 – The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) officially opened the Aussie Banget Corner (ABC), located in the ITS Library Reference Room, on Thursday (June 11). The inauguration was attended by the Rector of ITS, Prof. Dr. (HC) Ir. Bambang Pramujati, S.T., M.Sc.Eng., Ph.D., IPU, ASEAN Eng., along with the Deputy Consul General of Australia in Surabaya, Dr. Will Lee.

The event began with a warm welcome from the ITS Rector during the opening session. In his speech, Prof. Bambang Pramujati emphasized the importance of this information corner for the academic community and the general public.

“We can get the best information not only about Australia, but also about scholarships and everything else that, God willing, can be useful to our friends in Surabaya, especially those at ITS,” said Prof. Bambang optimistically.

The Soft Launch ceremony for Aussie Banget Corner was symbolically marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by representatives from both parties, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize their commitment to future collaboration.

Learn About Australia and Scholarship Opportunities at the General Session

Following the inauguration, the event continued with a General Lecture delivered by Dr. Will Lee. During this lecture, Dr. Will Lee emphasized that bilateral relations between Australia and Indonesia continue to strengthen across various key sectors, including academia.

“Cooperation between these two countries extends not only to the fields of security and finance, but also to the field of education,” Dr. Will Lee told the participants.

In his presentation, Dr. Will Lee introduced distinctive aspects of Australia through an interactive video. The video showcased various famous icons of the Land Down Under, ranging from unique animals like the quokka, the magnificent Opera House, and the unique tradition of the “democracy sausage,” to a comparison of the educational systems in Indonesia and Australia.

In addition to highlighting the country’s unique culture, Dr. Will Lee discussed the Australia Awards in Indonesia (AAI). This program is recognized as one of the international scholarship programs with the longest history of operation in Indonesia.

In his remarks, Dr. Will Lee explained that the scholarship program offered is highly flexible, covering everything from short courses to long-term academic programs at the master’s (S2) and doctoral (S3) levels at various prestigious Australian universities. The integration of this program essentially carries the primary mission of boosting the quality of human resources in Indonesia while strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.

With the launch of the Aussie Banget Corner at the ITS Library, students are now expected to have closer, faster, and more reliable access to scholarship opportunities and to explore study options in Australia.