Bali Nine would continue to serve time in Australia, but the details ...
Bali Nine would continue to serve time in Australia, but the details aren’t clear
Members of the Bali Nine drug syndicate would continue serving their sentences in Australia under a proposal being negotiated between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to bring the group home after two decades.
Trade Minister Don Farrell on Sunday said discussions on the fate of the five men, which Albanese directly raised with his Indonesian counterpart on the sidelines of a global summit earlier this month, were ongoing.
“The proposal isn’t, as I understand it, to release these people,” Farrell said on Sky News. “They would continue to serve their sentence[s], except they’re serving them in Australia.”
Matthew Norman and his father Michael Norman at Bali’s Kerobokan jail, Christmas 2017.Credit: Amilia Rosa
Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen are serving life sentences in prisons on Bali and Java after being arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia.
The men’s families have been reluctant to speak before a final decision, and there has been criticism from within Indonesia that a transfer would make the country look weak.
Farrell said the prime minister was representing the interests of Australians abroad, but the Coalition questioned whether the plight of the five men should be a priority.
Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash said their cases would not have been a focus of a Coalition government as she called on the prime minister to reveal details of any arrangement to bring them home.
“The Australian people, despite all the news reports, are in the dark,” she said.
“Let’s be clear, in the first instance: these individuals, Australians, were part of a heroin smuggling ring to bring back into Australia in excess of eight kilograms of heroin. Drug offences are some of the worst offences our society sees because of the devastating consequences on people, including death.”
”If nothing else, Mr Albanese needs to be upfront with the Australian people … What’s the nature of the deal? Who’s paying for it? What’s Australia giving up in return? And will they or won’t they continue to serve the balance of their sentence in Australia?”
Loading
The Bali Nine ringleaders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed by Indonesia in April 2015, soon after Widodo came to office. Another member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died from cancer in June 2018, while Renae Lawrence was released in November 2018 after having her sentence commuted.
News broke on Friday of the men’s potential transfer to Australia, but government ministers have been tight-lipped on the details of the delicate negotiations while an outcome is still being secured.
Indonesia’s Corrections Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed the discussions over the weekend.
“The Indonesian president replied that they are reviewing and processing the matter and hoped that it could be implemented in December,” he said.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said on Saturday that the government was advocating for men but refused to be drawn on the next steps, saying: “You’d all be aware that these are delicate issues, and I want to ensure that their welfare is maintained.”
With James Massola
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Loading
