Australia and Indonesia concluded their ninth foreign and defence ministers’ meeting in Canberra on 28 August, resulting in agreements in strategic sectors, especially critical minerals. Australia should temper any expectation that Indonesia will view its relationship with Canberra as exceptional compared to other bilateral ties. Indonesia has used its ‘free and active’ doctrine of pragmatic engagement to attract investments in the raw mineral sector. For Indonesia, stronger Australian involvement would keep competition alive in its mineral sector, limiting overreliance on China. Only then can Australia anchor itself as a credible partner in Indonesia’s economic transformation and secure a meaningful role in Southeast Asia’s evolving geoeconomics.