Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has told Sky News Australia comments made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the return of Julian Assange to Australia have been raised with him while he’s in Washington DC.
Mr Dutton is in the US capital attending the Australian American Leadership Dialogue.
He’s also attended high level meetings with a number of US officials, including at the White House.
At a press conference on June 27, the same day Julian Assange returned to Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters: “My job is to advocate for Australian citizens. Cheng Lei’s home. Sean Turnell is home.
“One of the things that my government does is, at times as well, we don’t shout. We’re not in a contest of machismo. What we do is we get things done. And my government advocated strategically, patiently, in a calibrated way, and we achieved this outcome.”
Sky News understands US officials have privately taken issue with comparing the case of Julian Assange, who plead guilty to one felony charge over his part in one of the largest breaches of classified materials in US history, to two Australians widely regarded as political prisoners.
Assange’s case has long been a sticking point with Australia’s closest strategic and defence ally, the United States.
While Economist Sean Turnell was detained by a military junta during the 2021 coup d’etat.
And journalist Cheng Lei was detained and eventually convicted by the Chinese Communist Party, where the court system has a 99 per cent conviction rate for anyone charged with any crime.
When asked by Sky News Australia, Mr Dutton – a former Home Affairs Minister – confirmed Mr Albanese’s comments have been raised in his meetings in Washington DC, saying: “It has been raised here. And I think there is a greater depth of concern about the way the government conducted themselves in relation to the repatriation of Julian Assange than what’s been publicly recognised.”
Mr Dutton continued: “I can understand the frustration of the US. Julian Assange is no hero and providing a hero’s welcome where you get slapped on the back and a personal call from the Prime Minister, I think it was a misstep.
“I think it was a misjudgement by the Prime Minister. I think (Albanese) probably regrets what he did and having our two most senior diplomats in Stephen Smith and Kevin Rudd on the plane or greeting him like he was a returned prisoner of war or as you saw him in that there’s no moral equivalence whatsoever with somebody like Cheng Lei. And I think the government’s made a mistake and I think they now recognise.”
At a press conference in Washington DC, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles dismissed Peter Dutton’s assessment.
When asked by a reporter if it has been raised during Mr Marles’ meetings with US officials the Deputy Prime Minister said: “No, not at all. And I think I’m in a position of having had as much engagement with the US Administration as literally anyone in the country and I can absolutely say that firstly, we welcome our ability to engage with the United States in relation to Mr Assange and his case.
“But it has had no impact on our relationship with the United States.”