Media stunned. Abbott not the bungler in Indonesia they falsely claimed Paul Kelly on the Tony Abbott the media has grievously underestimated - a pragmatic man who, I believe, will be highly effective and never intended to be the unilateralist even Kelly portrays: The upshot is a situation once considered improbable. Abbott's "make or break" pledge to stop the boats has become, in his words, a joint Australian-Indonesian project despite the different outlooks of the two nations... Abbott ... said that because of support "over the past 24 hours by every level of the Indonesian government" he felt the boats issue could be solved, a landmark comment. On display in Jakarta is a more subtle and calculating Abbott than many expected. He tells the Australian media there is no change to his policy yet he tells the Indonesians he is prepared to work with them... Whether boats will ever be turned is a moot point but the only conclusion from Abbott's remarks is that operational collaboration will govern such activity... The Abbott style as overseas PM was on display for the first time - firm, humble, constructive. It is an interesting mix. He doesn't pretend to be an Asia expert or the smartest person in the room or morally superior. He knows what he wants but he is adaptable. But why do Fairfax correspondents such as Mark Kenny, who have observed Abbott close up for so long, find it so "surprising" that Abbott is the man I've long known him to be? Did they fall for their own bull about him? Surprisingly, the newly elected Abbott was not just sure footed, but flexible showing no need for ""L-plates"" on his first outing on the international stage. The media- well, the Fairfax and ABC branch of it - is now hot in hope that Abbott has retreated from his "turn back the boats" promise: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has conspicuously softened his tone towards Indonesia after talks with the nation's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, possibly paving the way to ditch his controversial boats turn-back policy. Utter nonsense. He has simply ensured that in turning back any boat people he will, he now hopes, have the cooperation from Indonesia he needs and which he suspected from his visit last year he will get. The boat people will be turned back without fuss or chest-beating likely to stir nationalist sentiment in Indonesia or inflame that country's own ABC-type intelligentsia. Indeed, two boatloads of "asylum seekers" have already been quietly returned to Indonesia in one week. This has occurred under the uncomprehending eyes of the media now wondering whether Abbott has given up on doing this very thing. Similarly, note Fairfax journalists claiming Abbott seems to be in retreat from another commitment: Mr Abbott also appeared to waver on other parts of his contentious policy, saying village spies and buy-backs of fishing boats were nothing more than a pot of money available to local Indonesian officials ""working co-operatively with their Australian counterparts to ensure, as far as we can, we've got people working with us rather than against us"." Actually, that's exactly what Abbott had already said before the election: Mr Abbott says roughly $20 million has been allocated to the "village watch" activities, but would not give a figure for what the Government would pay for boats or for information that led to arrests. "This is the kind of thing that will be left to the discretion of our people on the ground acting in close cooperation with the Indonesians," he said. Once again, the media falsely portrayed Abbott as a clumsy unilateralist, and now accuses him of backing down when it is clear he isn't. But whatever is done and in what manner, Abbott is clear. It's the Doing that counts, not the Seeming. Judge him, as always, on the results and not the spin: Again, my object here is to stop the boats. And in order to ensure that the boats are stopped I want to have the best possible relationship with Indonesia... In the end that's all that really counts: have we stopped the boats?