Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

On 6 February this year I joined with colleagues from the Australian Labor Party and members from the coalition—indeed, members from right across the political spectrum—to show our support for the Australians who face execution on death row in Indonesia at the moment, Mr Myuran Sukumaran and Mr Andrew Chan. We call for clemency and we call on the Indonesian government to spare them, and their families, their horrible fate of execution. In this country we oppose the death sentence. It is something that has united us right across the political spectrum. We do not believe, as indeed the majority of judges on the constitutional court who heard the appeals of those in the Bali Nine who appealed, that it acts as a sufficient deterrent for those who are committing the sorts of crimes for which they have been charged.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work of a constituent of mine, world renowned Australian artist Mr Ben Quilty, who has given up his own time and resources, who has spent time in the jail in Bali both comforting and assisting them, and also doing art classes and fund raising and helping to raise attention of the terrible plight of these people. We hope in these final hours that they can be spared some hope themselves.

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