Labor, Greens demand to know why Abbott postponed Bali trip

THE PM has been attacked for cancelling a trip to Bali after speculation the move was linked to an asylum-seeker boat towback.

The Greens claim Tony Abbott’s refugee policy has condemned Australia to a poor relationship with Indonesia.

LABOR has demanded to know why Prime Minister Tony Abbott cancelled a planned trip to Indonesia, accusing him of further straining the relationship with one of Australia’s closest neighbours.

Mr Abbott was due to visit Bali early next week, after being invited by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to attend the Asia-Pacific Open Government Partnership conference.

But the trip has been put on ice, with speculation an asylum-seeker boat operation northeast of Australia could be the reason behind the last-minute decision.

The prime minister’s office has not confirmed why the visit was postponed just days before the two leaders were expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference.

The invitation was seen as an opportunity to salvage relations damaged after last year’s spying scandal saw Indonesia suspend high-level co-operation with Australia.

Shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek is calling for answers.

“Rejecting this invitation at this late stage really does put extra strain on the relationship,” she told reporters in Sydney.

“It’s very important that the prime minister discloses the reasons that he’s really not going.”

It is understood the trip was deemed too politically risky while Australian authorities were in the process of intercepting an asylum seeker vessel heading towards the mainland.

Turning or towing a boat back to Indonesia during the prime minister’s visit could have caused embarrassment for President Yudhoyono, sources say.

The Greens said Mr Abbott’s “cruel” asylum seeker policy had robbed Australia of a real chance to mend ties with Indonesia.

“That’s the extent of the embarrassment that Tony Abbott is to Australia both domestically and internationally,” Greens leader Christine Milne told reporters in Hobart. “He’s hoist on his own petard.

“With Indonesia having already expressed its extreme displeasure at Australia dumping life boats in Indonesian waters, imagine how embarrassing it would have been for President Yudhoyono to have to stand with Tony Abbott as a group of dehydrated, sick and desperate refugees in an orange life boat drifted back from Australia.”

Senator Milne said the prime minister had missed an opportunity to repair the relationship.

“It is very clear that Indonesia wants to heal the relationship, as does Australia, but while the Abbott government continues to tow lifeboats back into Indonesian waters with a view to them drifting back to the coast somewhere, it will continue to jeopardise the relationship,” she said.

The government refuses to comment on any matters related to “on-water” incidents related to Operation Sovereign Borders.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said there was nothing unusual or remarkable about the decision to cancel the trip, suggesting the impending budget was the reason.

“The prime minister is obviously very focused on his responsibilities here in Australia, 10 days out from our first budget,” he told Sky News.

Labor frontbencher Ed Husic rejected this explanation, accusing him of undermining Australia’s foreign interests by snubbing Indonesia.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott last night said the government was “hopeful of finding another date for the trip soon.”