TONY Abbott is on his way to Jakarta and is seeking closer ties amid a warning from Indonesia's president-elect about Australia's navy entering its waters while turning back asylum seeker boats. 
 
LABOR says that's not a good start.

Mr Abbott left for Jakarta on Sunday to attend Joko Widodo's presidential inauguration on Monday, his fourth trip to Australia's "hugely important neighbour" since becoming prime minister last year.

He wants Australia's foreign policy to have more of a Jakarta focus rather than a Geneva one, he said before he left.

Mr Joko has outlined plans to strengthen ties, including boosting military and intelligence links.

But he's also warned he will be strong on issues of sovereignty.

He further raised concerns about Australia's asylum seeker policies and warned against Australian naval vessels venturing into Indonesian waters without permission as they did inadvertently on several occasions last year.

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says Mr Joko's comments about Australia's policy of turning boats back to Indonesia were quite telling.

"It is not a good start," she told the ABC on Sunday.

"It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/foreign-policy-should-focus-on-jakarta-pm/story-fni0xqi3-1227095156769

Quote:

"It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government."

I recall Gillard making announcements about sending boat people to East Timor, which was news to the East Timorese!!!

Wow - these Indonesians have the very best names....  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Joko...

http://lowres.cartoonstock.com/transport-clown_car-family_car-car_shopping-car_shoppers-car_sales_rep-shl111007_low.jpg

a)  How does a modern navy make mistakes on national borders?   (well.. shoot me down an Iranair liner)...

b)  What's wrong with a comment that a country should be concerned over unilateral discussion by another country of issues that affect the first country as well?

One hand uttering clap-trap does not a conversation make....

Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning.

Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. Then Morrison has the audacity to say we've made life better for the Indonesians by stopping the people smuggling trade. They wouldn't look at it that way with their camps overflowing with thousands of refugees wanting to get to Australia.

mantra wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:16pm:

Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. Then Morrison has the audacity to say we've made life better for the Indonesians by stopping the people smuggling trade. They wouldn't look at it that way with their camps overflowing with thousands of refugees wanting to get to Australia.

Morrison is a pig, a sub-human thug who should be in prison for human-rights abuses, not still in power continuing to commit them.

He isn't, wasn't and never will be fit to lick Plibersek's shoes.

Is this another apology tour by Abbott. Its hard to keep up with who Abbott has / is insulting. Perhaps he is planning on starting a banning the burka campaign there.

mantra wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:16pm:

Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental.

I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position.

And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled.

Kat wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:25pm:

Morrison is a pig, a sub-human thug who should be in prison for human-rights abuses, not still in power continuing to commit them.

He certainly comes across as sub-human, but he's getting away with it. He has a real hatred for refugees. We can now be considered the most uncompassionate country in the civilised world.

Datalife wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position. And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled.

I don't think it was Labor who excised the mainland. I'm fairly sure it was a Coalition initiative under Howard.

Datalife wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position. And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled.

"Plausible deniability," wot?

mantra wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:39pm:

Datalife wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:31pm: mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position. And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled. I don't think it was Labor who excised the mainland. I'm fairly sure it was a Coalition initiative under Howard.

Nope labor excised the mainland. 

Datalife wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:47pm:

Nope labor excised the mainland.

You are right. My error.



Quote:

[quote]This Labor government is now going to try to enact legislation that is so discriminatory and un-Australian that John Howard faced an internal revolt when he tried it in 2006.

It is similar to a Howard government plan which was abandoned six years ago in the face of opposition from Liberal moderates.

Currently, only asylum seekers intercepted at sea or at Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands or Ashmore Reef can be sent for processing on Nauru or Papua New Guinea.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-caucus-accepts-move-to-excise-mainland-from-migration-zone-20121030-28ggu.html#ixzz3GZV3JXdI[/quote]

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 12:12pm:

TONY Abbott is on his way to Jakarta and is seeking closer ties amid a warning from Indonesia's president-elect about Australia's navy entering its waters while turning back asylum seeker boats.    LABOR says that's not a good start. Mr Abbott left for Jakarta on Sunday to attend Joko Widodo's presidential inauguration on Monday, his fourth trip to Australia's "hugely important neighbour" since becoming prime minister last year. He wants Australia's foreign policy to have more of a Jakarta focus rather than a Geneva one, he said before he left. Mr Joko has outlined plans to strengthen ties, including boosting military and intelligence links. But he's also warned he will be strong on issues of sovereignty. He further raised concerns about Australia's asylum seeker policies and warned against Australian naval vessels venturing into Indonesian waters without permission as they did inadvertently on several occasions last year. Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says Mr Joko's comments about Australia's policy of turning boats back to Indonesia were quite telling. "It is not a good start," she told the ABC on Sunday. "It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government." http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/foreign-policy-should-focus-on-jakarta-pm/story-fni0xqi3-1227095156769

Where do we find that LNP policy, or is just another LNP member exiting from Abbotts vision hole.

Datalife wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:47pm:

mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:39pm: Datalife wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:31pm: mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position. And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled. I don't think it was Labor who excised the mainland. I'm fairly sure it was a Coalition initiative under Howard. Nope labor excised the mainland.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/YaBB252clean/grin.gif


I'm sure it was Howard who excised the mainland back in the early-mid 2000s.

That was when the Xmas Is - Pacific Solution bullshit started.

mantra wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:16pm:

Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. Then Morrison has the audacity to say we've made life better for the Indonesians by stopping the people smuggling trade. They wouldn't look at it that way with their camps overflowing with thousands of refugees wanting to get to Australia.

Not to mention the cottage industry of smuggling people...

Argh, Jim, lad!  Many a year ago, t'was a matter of honour fer yer Devon smuggler ter be bringing in them what's escaping the guillotine in France!  Now, lad, it be matter of criminal activity!  An' yer peelers be punishing it greatly!

One man's queue jumper is another man's hero/heroine escaping persecution...

Kat wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 8:01pm:

I'm sure it was Howard who excised the mainland back in the early-mid 2000s.That was when the Xmas Is - Pacific Solution bullshit started.

I was sure too. He excised thousands of islands from Australia's migration zone when he implemented the Pacific Solution and that's where it gets confusing.

It looks as though the end result would be the same, but apparently not otherwise Gillard wouldn't have bothered excising Australia.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 12:13pm:

Quote: "It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government." I recall Gillard making announcements about sending boat people to East Timor, which was news to the East Timorese!!!

reply number 1 on your own topic and you missed it completely - already off topic ?

Datalife wrote on Oct 19^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

mantra wrote on Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Plibersek was very articulate and made a lot of sense this morning. Trespassing in Indonesian waters at least 6 times can't be called accidental. I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter, which I suspect it is, sounds to me like a definational thing relating to the status of away boats position. And it was Indonesia who requested that we remove the sugar from the table and Labor complied by legislating excising the mainland, the no advantage policy, promising to send them back to the end of resettlement queue and then sending them to PNG telling them they will never be resettled.

I think they called it inadvertent and could be repeated easily if it was a procedural matter


Their maps are accurate and most phone GPS would be able to tell them where they were. It is absolutely inconceivable that they either didn't know exactly where they were or that they were meant to not be there.

The got into Indonesian waters by towing boats back which the Government insisted would not happen. They were seen in Indonesian waters running with their lights off clearly showing that they didn't want to be identified in Indonesian waters.

Quote:

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says Mr Joko's comments about Australia's policy of turning boats back to Indonesia were quite telling. "It is not a good start," she told the ABC on Sunday. "It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government."

Not quite sure where you're heading with this ?

But I see Pliberseck and Joko on the "one ticket" - so far




Mr Joko raised concerns about Australia's unilateral and confrontational asylum seeker policies and specifically warned against the possibility of Australian naval vessels venturing into Indonesian waters without permission as they did on five occasions last year.

"We will give a warning that this is not acceptable," said Mr Joko, in the exclusive Fairfax Media interview.

"We have international law, you must respect international law," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joko-widodos-blunt-warning-to-prime-minister-tony-abbott-20141017-117l9i.html#ixzz3Gdq5dNDg

buzzanddidj wrote on Oct 20^th, 2014 at 10:58am:

Quote: Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says Mr Joko's comments about Australia's policy of turning boats back to Indonesia were quite telling. "It is not a good start," she told the ABC on Sunday. "It is obviously, as we have said all along, it is a very big deal for Indonesia that the (Australian) government is making announcements about what's happening on Indonesian waters and soil without talking to (that) government." Not quite sure where you're heading with this ? But I see Pliberseck and Joko on the "one ticket" - so far Mr Joko raised concerns about Australia's unilateral and confrontational asylum seeker policies and specifically warned against the possibility of Australian naval vessels venturing into Indonesian waters without permission as they did on five occasions last year. "We will give a warning that this is not acceptable," said Mr Joko, in the exclusive Fairfax Media interview. "We have international law, you must respect international law," he said. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joko-widodos-blunt-warning-to-prime-minister-tony-abbott-20141017-117l9i.html#ixzz3Gdq5dNDg

Seems reasonable to ask the Abbott government to stop breaching international law ?

Saying that this being one of the first things a new president does in office is a bad sign is probably fair enough.

It looks more like a case of Scott and Tony putting their boats in it than anything to do with Tanya's slippers.

How about Indonesia stop pointing boats towards Australia and then pushing them onwards?

Bubba Zanetti wrote on Oct 20^th, 2014 at 11:09am:

How about Indonesia stop pointing boats towards Australia and then pushing them onwards?

Indonesia has obviously become a port for refugees, but now they're stuck with tens of thousands of asylum seekers with nowhere to go. They haven't got the resources to maintain them. It's not entirely their fault that everyone wants to come to Australia. We have also sent out mixed messages.

Abbott is just pushing refugees back into Indonesia as if they are refuse and Indonesia is the trash can.