Tanya Plibersek says it doesn’t help “delicate negotiations” to publicly speculate on the possible deal to repatriate the five members of the Bali Nine still imprisoned in Indonesia.
Plibersek told Seven’s Sunrise the government would always help Australians who were in trouble overseas, but “any sort of speculation is counterproductive at a time like this”.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce also spoke on the program, defending shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash for weighing in on the issue.
“I think my participation from here really doesn’t add to the conversation,” Joyce said. “I will leave it up to [Cash]. Michaelia has every right to ask questions, but I don’t think it’s assisted by me [weighing in].”
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Speaking to Sky News on the weekend, Cash listed the questions she thought the prime minister needed to answer:
“What is the deal? What has he extracted in relation for the deal? What is Australia giving up in relation to the deal? How much is it going to cost the Australian taxpayer? Will they continue to serve their prison sentences because they have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Indonesia? Will they continue to serve them out in Australia? And if not, why not?”
Australians involved in the talks said there was no “quid pro quo” and no prisoner swap as part of the discussions and that the request was up to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to decide.
“This has been a request, not a transaction,” said an Australian government source who declined to be named due to concerns about diplomatic protocol. “It is an act of friendship.”
Later in the morning, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil was asked about the negotiations on ABC RN Breakfast. She said while no one had lost sight of the “horrible crime” that was committed, the five remaining prisoners had spent 20 years in jail and it was therefore “absolutely appropriate” for Albanese to advocate for their return.
Read more about the talks behind the deal here.
