Julie Bishop has swapped mobile phone numbers in what she says was a "warm and engaging" first official conversation with her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi.
Ms Bishop, Australia's first female Foreign Minister, said she told Ms Retno, Indonesia's first female foreign minister, that the relationship is one the Abbott government's "highest priorities."
In his first interview with an Australian media outlet, President Joko Widodo warned Prime Minister Tony Abbott he would be blunt if the navy again strayed into Indonesia's waters during an operation.
Labor says Jakarta "hates" the boat turn-back policy that has resulted in the navy incursions, but its immigration spokesman Richard Marles has conceded it helped to stem the flow of boats to just one in 2014.
But speaking from Fiji, Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media there were "no issues of contention" raised during their phone call. Instead, she said they had a "warm and engaging conversation" and promised close engagement.
Ms Bishop frequently texted her former Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa and the SMS-diplomacy looks set to continue, with the Foreign Minister confirming she and Ms Retno swapped mobile numbers during the call.
Ms Bishop said Ms Rento was aware of the 60-odd areas in which Australia and Indonesia have strong co-operation, including intelligence gathering.
Ms Bishop and Ms Rento have met three times before, including most recently in July when Ms Rento was posted as Indonesia's envoy to the Netherlands. The pair were among dignitaries who greeted the first of the remains of MH17 crash victims to arrive in Eindhoven.
"Because I've met her before we were establishing a rapport," Ms Bishop said.
It's expected the pair will have their first formal face to face discussion at the APEC Foreign Minister's meeting in Beijing next week.
Ms Rento is a career diplomat and was posted to Australia between 1990 and 1994.