"When took on the job I thought there'd be two countries very important to our strategic direction going forward - Indonesia and the United States," he said.

Mr Broad said he received briefings on trade between Australia and Indonesia.

"It is very relevant to our electorate because Indonesia takes a tenth of our total grain harvest," he said.

He said Indonesia was a difficult market for smaller operators to trade in to.

"I don't think you're about to see a farmer in Horsham send shipping containers into Indonesia because it's a high risk market," he said.

Mr Broad said the trip had dispelled myths regarding Indonesian treatment of livestock.

He said given the cost of live exports compared with Indonesian wages, cruelty was not in their interest.

"There has been significant cultural and welfare gains in the last year," he said.

Live exports to Indonesia were suspended in 2011 after footage of cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs was aired.

Mr Broad said Indonesians were sensitive about being told what to do on the issue.

"There's a significant hangover around how we as a country treated them over live exports," he said.

"We have to talk about how do we partner with Indonesia, not act superior to them.

"So much of the live export debate came down to us thinking we were superior, that we somehow have a right to tell them what they should and shouldn't do."

"There has been the need for some bridge building.

"You had live exports and then the issue around spying.

"Indonesians as people are fairly happy, content people and they don't want to just buy our products, they want to partner with us to help their farmers grow their wealth."

Mr Broad said it was important for Australia to promote growth in Indonesia.

"It is in Australia's strategic interest to ensure Indonesia continues to have stability and can feed themselves," he said.

"If you have a political unrest or a famine for our northern neighbours, Australia would of course be drawn into that."

Mr Broad said the growing middle class were consuming increased amounts of red meat, chicken and dairy products.

"Even though we don't have lots of dairies in the electorate, we do provide a lot of grain and feed stuff," he said.

Mr Broad visited cattle feed lots, large corn plantations and a major pineapple grower.

"I was on a place where they had 100,000 acres of pineapples that were hand planted and hand harvested," he said.

He said he was surprised by how much Indonesians value their young democracy and their firm opposition to the Islamic State regime in Syria and Iraq.

While in Indonesia, Mr Broad had breakfast with US Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain.

Mr Broad also received briefings on asylum seekers, defence and terrorism.

"I lost a first cousin in the Bali Bombings so terrorism was of interest to me," he said.