Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Australia, of course, is not a party to this decision. It is a matter between Mr Assange and the governments of Ecuador and the United Kingdom. The court case that led to this affair arising in this fashion is between Mr Assange and the government of Sweden. I am advised that Mr Assange remains in the Ecuadorian embassy where he has been since mid-June. This morning the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister did announce a decision would be made on his asylum claim at 10 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. The outcome of Mr Assange's asylum claim, of course, is a matter for the Ecuadorian and United Kingdom governments. The Australian government cannot intervene in the UK legal process. We have no standing in the British courts, but the government does not take up the case—