Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I support what the Prime Minister has said. Labor's thoughts, like all of Australia's, are with these two young men and their families. It is unimaginable what they are experiencing. I do not believe that Australia is seeking forgiveness for these two men or, indeed, to free them, but by all accounts they have changed. They have repented of what they have done, they have understood the mistakes they have made and they are making remarkable contributions in terms of what they do now.

Some people have said to me, 'But it's drugs. People know the law of the land they travel into and, really, that's all that you can expect in this matter.' What I would say—and this parliament, I genuinely believe, supports this—is: the death penalty will solve nothing. The execution of these two young men will solve nothing. There are legal processes underway. We would seek that they be allowed to continue and be resolved.

I would also endorse what the Prime Minister said: the entire parliament is united on this matter. We are united in seeking that the President of Indonesia, presenting the great and strong and generous nature of the Indonesian people, would grant clemency to these two men, just as the Indonesian government seeks clemency for its citizens when facing execution elsewhere.

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