Anthony Albanese stuffs up diary royally and will miss Indonesian President’s-elect’s inauguration

Anthony Albanese will become the first Australian PM in decades to miss the swearing-in of a new Indonesian president, amid a scheduling clash with King Charles’ visit to Australia.

Anthony Albanese with Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto in Canberra in August, as Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles looks on. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

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Anthony Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister in decades to miss the swearing-in of a new Indonesian president, skipping the inauguration of the country’s new leader Prabowo Subianto amid a scheduling clash with King Charles’ visit to Australia.

The move comes despite Mr Albanese’s public commitment to Mr Prabowo just two months ago that he would attend the high-level ceremony.

It’s understood the government informed Indonesia about a fortnight ago that Mr Albanese was no longer able to travel to Jakarta for the event this Sunday, and that Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles would attend on his behalf to represent Australia.

Mr Albanese hosted the incoming Indonesian leader in Canberra in August, declaring: “I look forward to working closely with you, President-elect Prabowo, (and) to attending your inauguration in October.”

He told Mr Prabowo at the time that Australia had “no more important relationship than the relationship between our two great nations”.

Senior government sources said the scheduling conflict was not apparent when the Prime Minister committed to attending Mr Prabowo’s inauguration.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the government should have negotiated with Buckingham Palace to allow Mr Albanese to attend the inauguration as well as hosting Australia’s head of state. “Things are grim when the Albanese government can’t even get basic scheduling right,” he said. “The opportunity to be at the inauguration of the new Indonesian president isn’t just important for Indonesian relations, but provides for engagement with other regional partners too.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Sydney on Friday and are due to attend a number of events in the NSW capital on Sunday before heading to Canberra on Monday. They will head back to Sydney the following day, before departing Australia on Wednesday for Samoa, where they will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are arriving in Australia on Friday. Picture: Getty Images

Indonesian presidents have been sworn in every five years on October 20 since 2004, while the CHOGM dates have been locked in for months.

Senator Birmingham said: “The Albanese government should have been able to work through scheduling plans with the palace that enabled the PM to treat the royal visit with respect, as well as our largest near neighbour.”

Mr Prabowo’s inauguration will be attended by a host of international dignitaries, and will include a swearing-in ceremony and presidential address. Mr Albanese’s change of plans caught Indonesia watchers by surprise. The Lowy Institute’s Susannah Patton said it was a disappointing development, but an understandable one. “It’s a good reason, but it’s just strange that it wasn’t communicated earlier,” she said. “It’s a shame because the inauguration is an opportunity, right up front, to emphasise Indonesia’s importance to us. And I think a lot of other regional heads of state and heads of government will be there. But I don’t think it’s the end of the world.”

Mr Marles has worked closely with Mr Prabowo – his Indonesian counterpart as Defence Minister – making him “a pretty good substitute” for Mr Albanese at the ceremony, Ms Patton said.

ANU emeritus professor Greg Fealy, a specialist in Indonesian politics, said the bilateral relationship was unlikely to be adversely affected. “While it’s always best if the PM attends, Richard Marles knows Prabowo well and they have a good relationship,” he said. “I think it’s clear to Prabowo that Australia privileges relations with Indonesia so I don’t think this is a major problem.”

Mr Albanese has sought to get off on the right foot with his incoming Indonesian counterpart, and was the first foreign leader to call Mr Prabowo after his election victory in February. The president-elect appreciated the gesture, saying during his August visit: “This is, I think, a mark of the friendship, the good relationship between us, and I value this very much.”

Mr Prabowo, who made the trip to Australia to finalise a landmark defence co-operation agreement, said the nations’ bilateral ties were in good shape.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny represented Australia at former Indonesian president Joko Widodo’s second inauguration in 2019, while his predecessor Tony Abbott attended Mr Widodo’s first inauguration in 2014.