Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s vow to “shirt-front” Russian President Vladimir Putin

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has vowed to “shirt-front” Russian President Vladimir Putin. What the hell does that actually mean?

Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the opening of Caval Ridge coal mine at Moranbah. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has a problem with half of Australia thinking to “shirt-front” means one thing and half thinking it’s something else.

This follows the lines of the most embedded rift through the nation: Football codes.

This divide is important because the Prime Minister has promised to shirtfront Russian President Putin when he visits Australia in November for the G20 summit.

Is Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured here with Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, getting some practice in, in his shirt-front. Picture: AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service

“I’m going to shirt-front Mr Putin,” the Prime Minister said during a media conference in Central Queensland.

“You bet you are, you bet I am. I am going to be saying to Mr Putin Australians were murdered (in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy in Ukraine).”

Mr Abbott was speaking figuratively of course about his actions. He won’t actually lay a violent hand on the macho Russian.

But definitions are important. We have to know how serious was his figurative threat to understand how serious he will be with the Russian leader.

In AFL states, to shirtfront means to charge a rival player full pelt and hit them so hard they drop to the ground heavily. Apparently if a football is involved in this encounter it is only incidental and certainly not necessary.

An AFL version of a “shirt-fronting”.

In rugby territory – league and union, Mr Abbott’s game – to shirtfront means to grab by the coat lapels, or indeed the front of a shirt, and vigorously challenge.

So, if the Prime Minister threatening to metaphorically slam the Russian President into the ground? Or simply to muss up his shirt? In terminology Mr Abbott is most familiar with, probably the latter.

The Prime Minister chose to be hairy-chested about his November guest after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten bemoaned the Russian presence, even while acknowledging the Australian leader had no choice.

Russia is a major global economic force and the G20 is an economic unit. Australia might be the host but that doesn’t mean it can make the rules.

Other major economies, such as Japan, the US, Germany and China, want the Russians at the table in Brisbane, and Australia has no choice.

But Mr Abbott had to seem more regretful than Mr Shorten, and that produced the shirtfront threat, you bet it did.

We now just have to work out what he means.