Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s Indonesian air base gaffe stunned viewers, but was he closer to the mark than expected? Samantha Maiden

Peter Dutton was wrong about the Indonesian president, but was he right to raise concerns about what Anthony Albanese knew? Writes Samantha Maiden.

It was a trainwreck interview by any standards.

Liberal leader Peter Dutton jumped on national television this week to reveal that the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had confirmed that Vladimir Putin wanted to fly his planes out of an Indonesian air base near Australia.

Mr Dutton said it would be a “catastrophic failure” if Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had no forewarning of the shocking request.

“Did the Prime Minister know about this before it was publicly announced by the President of Indonesia?’’ Mr Dutton said.

Incredible stuff. Shocking. Disturbing. Alarming. Hard-hitting.

A genuine ‘hold the front page’ moment for Australia.

The only problem was that it never happened. The Indonesian President had made no such statement.

Mr Dutton is not backing down, insisting that if the Albanese government didn’t know the request was made, that’s a big problem. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

US military website Janes had reported that Russia had officially requested to base aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base at Biak Numfor, in the Indonesian province of Papua.

Papua refers to a province in Indonesia and also part of the larger island of New Guinea.

It’s not, as some erroneously suggested, Papua New Guinea, but it is 1300km away from Darwin.

But the Indonesian President had in fact said Nyet about it.

As it turns out, the ABC host Patricia Karvelas was all over it.

“Have I missed that, has the Indonesian president announced this? That’s not my understanding,’’ she said.

Mr Dutton replied: “There’s commentary I have seen reported from the Indonesian spokesperson. That obviously comes from the administration. There are reports of negotiations or discussions that have taken place between Russia and Indonesia.”

Wrong again.

Karvelas then followed up, asking: “Where have you seen the Indonesian president confirm this? Aren’t you verballing him? He hasn’t talked publicly about it.”

Big whoopsie. A genuine brain melt from the fearless alternative prime minister.

Or was it?

Because questions remain over whether Indonesia did indeed receive a request, with the Defence Minister Richard Marles refusing to say.

Mr Dutton is not backing down, insisting that if the Albanese government didn’t know the request was made, that’s a big problem.

“Penny Wong talks a big game but I don’t think she is a foreign minister on top of her brief,’’ he said.

Mr Marles and Senator Wong have both refused to be drawn on whether Indonesia did receive a request from Russia. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

He kind of has a point. Because Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles and the Prime Minister have been all over the shop over whether or not a request was made.

Remember that’s what the original Janes website story said. It didn’t say Indonesia had agreed. It said Russia had asked.

Long-time readers will recall my previous diatribes about reading comprehension in Australia and declining standards.

The Prime Minister has been running around insisting that the Jane’s website story was wrong but refusing to reveal if Russia made the request.

And that’s what the original story said.

The Foreign Minister insisted that Mr Dutton had “fabricated a statement”.

“He is simply too reckless and too aggro,’’ Senator Wong said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the TV gaffe as a “disqualifying moment” for Peter Dutton.

“Peter Dutton is too risky and too reckless to be the prime minister of a great country like ours,” he said.

“He is temperamentally unfit to manage our relationships in the world and to manage our economy here at home, and Australians will pay for his recklessness.”

But here’s the thing.

Mr Marles and Senator Wong have both refused to be drawn on whether Indonesia did receive a request from Russia.

That suggests the original Jane website report – which simply said the request was made, not that Indonesia had agreed to it – may be correct.

Which means Peter Dutton was wrong about the Indonesian president, but right to raise concerns about what Anthony Albanese knew and when he knew it.

Originally published as Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s Indonesian air base gaffe stunned viewers, but was he closer to the mark than expected? Samantha Maiden