Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As other senators say, it is not the way that citizens from other countries have been treated. Britain, the US and, just last week, Yemen, I think, insisted that their citizens be brought back to their countries and tried in their courts of law. There is no other country that has said: ‘Sure—go and create a kangaroo court and try our citizens. We do not care if it is not fair or representative under international law.’ All of the other countries have asked for and got their citizens returned to be tried in their courts. John Howard and this government stand out alone in that particular regard.

There is a widespread understanding that Guantanamo Bay is an appalling violation of human rights and that the legal process that David Hicks is being subjected to is a sham. I moved a motion today in the Senate highlighting the fact that as of today David Hicks has been detained for 1,889 days. Tomorrow I will move a similar motion. The day after I will move one again. Every day until David Hicks is returned to Australia, I intend to ensure that this parliament spends at least five minutes acknowledging that this man has now spent five long years in detention—and he is there because of the inaction on the part of this government—to ensure that he receives a fair trial or is brought back to Australia. Other countries have managed to achieve this for their citizens. The Australian government should be doing likewise.

This is an issue that the Greens will continue to speak out on. We are pleased to see that more and more groups within the community are joining us in calling for justice for David Hicks—the justice that he is not receiving and the justice that the Australian government currently is not standing up for him to receive. (Time expired)