John Madigan (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to questions without notice asked today in relation to the extradition treaty between Australia and the People's Republic of China.

I listened intently to Senator Brandis's answer, but I fear there is a gap between rhetoric and reality in this place. That brings me to a recent case in the ACT, that of Mr Krunoslav Bonic, which highlights the need for caution when it comes to extradition requests—although this was not a request from China. Mr Bonic was locked up in a prison, away from his family, after the Australian government agreed to extradite him to Bosnia. As required by law, they did not undertake any investigation as to the merit of the charges. Luckily, Mr Bonic's legal team presented evidence to the Bosnian government to contradict the charges, and the Bosnian government withdrew the charges.

The Chinese government may not be so accommodating to someone in Mr Bonic's position. I urge the government to reconsider ratifying this treaty in light of the enormous financial and emotional devastation that remains for Mr Bonic and his family.

Question agreed to.