Australia's relationship with Indonesia appears to be at its lowest point, says Indonesia's former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, who suspects there is no private communication between the two countries.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
During an interview with Sky's David Speers to be aired on Monday, Dr Natalegawa said "we are at a key juncture" in Indonesia-Australia relations.
He said he believes there is also no private communications occurring between the two governments, which would represent an unprecedented collapse in relations.
"I believe we are at a key juncture just now in Indonesia-Australia relations," Dr Natalegawa said.
"We have in the past difficult moments when our relations are low but even then I believed that there was always a sense of communications going, actually from my experience in the past whenever we had a crisis communication intensified.
"I'm not sure whether that sort of communication is going on at the moment, whether public or private."
He called for dialogue between the two countries aimed at more fairly sharing the burden of the flow of asylum seekers.
Dr Natalegawa, who served as foreign minister under former president Susilo Bambang Yudohoyono, has in the past firmly put Indonesia's view on turnbacks on the record.
The former Indonesian foreign minister's comments are a bad sign for Tony Abbott, who as opposition leader declared his foreign policy would be "more Jakarta and less Geneva".
The relationship with Indonesia has soured during Mr Abbott's time in office due to several issues.
In late 2013 allegations surfaced that Australian spies tapped the phones of former president Susilo Bambang Yudohoyono during Labor's time in office, while the Abbott government's turnbacks of boats carrying asylum seekers has continued to strain relations.
The following year the internationally inexperienced President Joko Widodo was elected, and in April this year the two Australian Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed despite Australia's repeated pleas for mercy.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has not had formal contact with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi since the two Australians were killed by firing squad, although the ambassador Paul Grigson, who was briefly recalled, has resumed his post.
Dr Natalegawa, who is in Australia attending the Crawford Australian Leadership Forum in Canberra, said the issue of boat turnbacks was an issue the two countries needed to get together on and discuss.
He said as a transit country Indonesia had no desire to see Australia introduce or encourage any pull factors but the issue could not be offloaded on to to Indonesia to deal with alone.
"I hope the two governments at this time irrespective of the different views that they may have actually intensify their communication because as neighbours we have to get along and we have to find common solutions," he said.
"I worry a little bit by the sense of disconnect…at the moment
I'm not privy to the details of the relationship today but I hope there is somewhere some kind of intensified communications. We cannot afford to let the relationship degenerate into a lower point."
His comments come as the Labor opposition mulls over whether or not to formally approve continuing the turning back of asylum seeker boats if its elected to government.
Labor has long opposed turnbacks saying they would destroy the relationship with what is considered one of Australia's most important neighbours - Indonesia.
However, under Operation Sovereign Borders, the government has all but stopped the flow of asylum seeker boats to Australia and Labor MPs, particularly from the Right faction, have conceded turnbacks have contributed to the result.
On Monday, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten did not rule out adopting turnbacks, in a major shift to his position at the end of 2014.
"I am determined to make sure that never again do the seaways between Java and Christmas Island become the opportunity for people smugglers to put unsuspecting people into unsafe boats and drown at sea," Mr Shorten said in Melbourne.
with Lisa Cox
