Russian President Vladimir Putin was cooperative and constructive when asked for his help in allowing investigators access to the MH17 crash site in Ukraine, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Saturday.

Subtle is hardly the word to describe Abbott's pledge on Monday to "shirt-front" Vladimir Putin. But is language of this type effective?

Arts Minister George Brandis also attended the dinner in the Prime Minister’s private dining room at Parliament House. Mr Abbott told guests that he wanted to learn from the arts sector, and heard a discussion about its successes and challenges. The conversation included the importance of private-sector support for the arts, and the international role of arts organisations in cultural diplomacy.

The raids involving 800 federal and state police officers — the largest in the country's history — came in response to intelligence that an Islamic State group leader in the Middle East was calling on Australian supporters to kill, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. Abbott was asked about reports that the detainees were planning to behead a random person in Sydney.

If there is one thing that most Australians, from across the political spectrum, can agree upon it is that foreign policy has emerged as one of the key strengths of the Coalition Government lead by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his team. The energetic and creative leadership of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb was demonstrated most recently with the launch of the Coalition's Economic Diplomacy policy at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

Australia and Russia have been engaging in a war of words over the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. The rhetoric is of course a minor part of the larger ongoing propaganda war over the way in which the crisis in Ukraine is perceived globally. Still, in addition to sanctions, Russia and Australia have continued to trade some particularly pointed remarks in recent weeks. 

The Australians are planning to use cricket diplomacy to strengthen ties with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. While the PMs of the two countries, Mr Tony Abbott and Mr Narendra Modi, will be making history in virtual back-to-back bilateral meetings in September and November in India and Australia respectively, the Australians are keen to bring the Bradman Gallery from the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame on a road show to India in 2014 in which the exhibition will be held for a month in each of the cities it tours.

Relations with our Indonesian neighbours have been a touch awkward of late, ever since the Australian government got busted committing the international espionage equivalent of eavesdropping over the back fence.