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Auskar Surbakti (born February 27, 1985) is an Australian journalist. He is currently a television news anchor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) free-to-air international television service, Australia Network. He is also a host of Asia Pacific on Radio Australia, the ABC's international radio service. As well as presenting, he has worked as a foreign correspondent.

ABC News for Australia Network is broadcast from the headquarters of the ABC's Victorian division, the Southbank Centre in Melbourne.

Early life

Surbakti was born to Indonesian parents. He spent his early years in Indonesia, before being educated in Australia. He attended RMIT University in Melbourne, where he studied journalism and social science. He was an honours student and graduated with distinction. Throughout his university studies, he worked in the community television sector, working as a producer and presenter for programs on Channel 31 and was as a journalist for the community radio station, syn fm, before becoming the station's News and Current Affairs Director. Surbakti also interned for the United Nations over a number of years, as a part of his international relations studies.

Career

Surbakti's journalism career began in the community television and radio sectors, in which he worked throughout his time at university in Australia. He also worked for Ten News in Melbourne. After graduating, he began a cadetship at the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in Sydney, where he was trained across the network's news and current affairs division across television, radio and online.

SBS

After completing his cadetship year, Surbakti was employed primarily as a reporter for SBS's flagship national nightly news bulletin, World News Australia. During his time at the network's television news division, he worked at the Canberra Press Gallery, covering Australian federal politics and was a foreign correspondent. He specialised in the South-east Asia region, covering events in Indonesia, including the recovery effort in the former restive northern province of Aceh following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the deadly 2009 Sumatra earthquakes, the visit by the United States President, Barack Obama, and the ongoing issue of refugees and asylum seekers. Surbakti also specialised in religious affairs. He covered Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Australia for World Youth Day 2008 and raised the issue of sexual abuse by clergy with the pontiff. He also met with the Dalai Lama on the Tibetan spiritual leader's visits to Australia. Surbakti won a United Nations media award for his 'Rebuilding Aceh' series. His television news reports have been broadcast on the international network, CNN.

As well as television news, Surbakti worked on various programs across the television current affairs division. He worked as a producer and correspondent on the forum-style program, Insight, developing shows on a range of issues including mental health and immigration. He also worked as a correspondent for the indigenous current affairs program, Living Black and as a researcher on Dateline.

Surbakti has also worked across the network's radio and online platforms.