Prior to the 20103 September 9 Election Tony Abbott took a deep...

Prior to the 20103 September 9 Election Tony Abbott took a deep breath as Kevin Rudd changed tack and all but stopped the asylum seeker boats.

Abbott thought he had to up the ante and did so by making very public demands that Indonesia work with him "to stop the boats". But on becoming PM Abbott made humiliating apologies for the very comments he had made as Opposition Leader, thereby admitting to having insulted Indonesians.

But Abbott then gifted a naval patrol boat to a Sri Lankan Govt. facing serious allegations of war crimes against its people; ostensibly to enable that Govt to catch asylum seekers fleeing Sri Lanka; the UK's David Cameron was flabbergasted, as were many others!

At APEC Abbott managed to insult President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by arriving late to a speech he was making.

Thereafter Abbott's inept management of allegations our spy agencies bugged members of SBY's family added insult to injury while Abbott and Scott Morrison continued their demands of Indonesia in relation to "stopping the boats".

Now and absolutely on Abbott's watch our navy has repeatedly transgressed Indonesian territorial waters to scare off / turn around / maybe even shoot at asylum seeker boats - Scott Morrison has hurriedly even apologised!

Small wonder then that Indonesia has responded:

"Jakarta has demanded an immediate halt to asylum-seeker boat turnbacks and announced it will send a navy frigate to bolster its southern defences after Australian ships repeatedly breached Indonesian territorial waters.

In a dramatic escalation of the standoff over border protection, Indonesia drew a line in the sand on Friday, saying it would step up its own maritime patrols in a move that could heighten the risk of confrontation. ..."

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-breach-of-indonesian-territorial-waters-angers-jakarta-20140117-310kk.html

In just over four months Abbott has so damaged our relations with Indonesia that we now have "gunboat diplomacy" unfolding before our very eyes. The stakes are now much higher and in an Indonesian election year!

It's reprehensible that the men and women of our naval forces are being placed in such a volatile and vulnerable situation by a self-serving government that has made the worst start of any first term government in Australian history.