Indonesia's ambassador to Australia believes it's time for both countries to abandon "megaphone diplomacy".
Nadjib Riphat Kesoema made the call on Monday, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Indonesia's proclamation of independence.
Mr Kesoema said the two nations must invest more to "grow and mature the partnership as equals, with words and actions that carry more sincerity, that avoid lip service and eschew megaphone diplomacy".
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in Canberra she agreed entirely with Mr Kesoema.
She insisted a close relationship existed between Australian and Indonesian ministers, despite official contact being suspended for several months following the executions of the two Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Even during rough patches when "naysayers" wrote off bilateral relations there was much good will, she said.
Despite a "particularly tense moment" in the past, former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa had offered Australians studying under the government's New Colombo Plan internships within his department.
Ms Bishop had a long conversation with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi over the weekend.
"I've not put out a press release or shouted from the rooftops about it," she said.
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