"....Rather, he projected strength and purpose in Australia's interests, and respect and sensitivity for the host country."

What he did was back-pedal a hundred miles per hour - because all of his turn back/ buy the boats chest-thumping was for domestic consumption to win an election.

Faced with the reality of dealing with a neighbour of no small quantity, his pre-election jockeying can be seen for the fiction it was.

I'm not surprised he tip-toed around like the novice he is.

On the subject of statesmanship...how is barring Indonesian journalists acting statesmanlike?..after a full on state visit?

Can you imagine what would have been said if Obama had tried the same insulting stunt on Australian journalists during his visit?

Abbott is not a statesman's bootlace.

Not trying to be a smarty or to annoy any one.
But already Abbott has feet of clay.
Those thinking he is a savior are in for sad times.
Locking his crew up not allowing free comment.
Backing away from his date to get the budget balanced.
Nearly destroying his relationship with Indonesia.
Not telling us how many boar arrivals are coming.
The man is a fraud.
Rupert seems to have him on the leash reserved for people he owns and Tony is OK with that, but not his party.
Rumbles of true discontent are here already watch for the storm by mid next year.

There are some very short memories being paraded here.

In her quest to buy Australia a place on UN's Security Council and to promote herself, Julia Whatshername's very frequent trips abroad always featured the golden shower of millions of taxpayers' dollars in foreign aid. The fortunate recipients didn't have to ask for it. Meanwhile at home the survivors of catastrophic floods were all but forgotten.

Rudd was the same. Who can forget Rudd's shower of gold for Indonesia when he regrettably politicised Indonesia-Australia relations hoping to prove he was a diplomat and to score political points against Abbott?

<A GIFT-LADEN Mr Kevin Rudd will arrive in Indonesia today for his first overseas visit since his reinstatement as Australia's Prime Minister, amid fierce criticisms of his "irresponsible" warnings of a possible conflict with Jakarta.

Mr Rudd is set to present numerous gifts to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, including second-hand C-130 Hercules planes, Customs patrol boats and substantial development aid, all worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In return, Mr Rudd is seeking to persuade Jakarta to crack down on the flow of asylum-seeker boats that sail from Indonesia to Australia - an issue that, perhaps more than any other, threatens his prospects of winning Australia's upcoming election, particularly if he fails to stem the flow.

Mr Rudd will also try to revive live cattle exports to Indonesia, which halved its imports after Australia suspended the trade in 2011 amid concerns of cruelty at Indonesian abattoirs.>

http://www.stasiareport.com/the-big-story/asia-report/indonesia/story/asylum-seekers-top-rudds-indonesia-agenda-20130704

OTB,

Yup!

Labor = lots of talking and no results.

Coalition = Less spin, and more results.

just great to have adults back at the helm despite having to clean up the childrens mess. One day they might learn to do it themselves but from Gillards whinge and victimhood speach you can see they have learn't zero.

Yes indeed, Mr Abbott has discovered that it is
very different being in government than in opposition.
When Labor wanted a regional solution to the problem
of asylum seekers and regional co-operation, the
opposition wouldn't have a bar of it. Yet, now that
Mr Abbott's the new PM - and after meeting Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Mr Abbott acknowledges
that, "it would be much better if the co-operation was
at the bilateral level." Mr Abbott has now gone from
boat tow-backs to "total respect for Indonesia's
sovereignty, a total respect for Indonesia's territorial
integrity."

And to sweeten the people smuggling pill, Mr Abbott has
annouced a $15 million commitment to a new Australian Centre
for Indonesia Studies based at Melbourne's Monash University,
to "build trust and understanding" between the two countries.
He even apologised in a dinner speech for Australia cancelling
the live cattle trade. Will he sell Australian land to Indonesia?
And what other concessions will be made?

Interesting times lie ahead.