Three months have now passed since Indonesia recalled its ambassador from Canberra and the rift that prompted Jakarta to take this serious step is no closer to being resolved. Indeed, it has got worse, with more questions emerging about Australian intelligence and border protection operations in and around Indonesia.
It is time to ask whether our Government has any plans to fix this problem.
Canberra has so far adopted a three-pronged approach. The first is to deny there is a problem – Julie Bishop says she's in constant contact with her Indonesian counterpart and everything between them is fine. This is clearly untrue, and it only deepens the rift by confirming to Jakarta that the Abbott government does not take their concerns seriously.
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by Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, ANU