Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The government will be opposing this motion. The Australian government has provided comprehensive assistance to Mr Russell since the Arctic Sunrise and its crew were detained by Russian authorities in the Barents Sea on 19 September. The government has made a range of official representations aimed at ensuring he is extended due legal process by Russian authorities, and by registering our concerns to have his case resolved expeditiously. Ms Julie Bishop wrote to her Russian counterpart on 14 November and raised Mr Russell's case twice with the Russian deputy foreign minister at the APEC forum ministers meeting in Bali, in October.

The Australian ambassador to Russia raised the case with a senior Russian foreign ministry official, in Moscow, on 20 November. Mr Robb has also raised the matter. I should reiterate that the Australian government has no standing in the Russian legal proceedings and has no capacity to intervene in them, but obviously the government does do all that it can to support citizens— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.