Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Senators will have seen, and I'm sure all of us welcome, that Professor Sean Turnell has arrived safely back here in Australia and has been reunited with his wife, Ha Vu, and family after more than 21 months of unjust detention in Myanmar. His return will be an enormous relief to family, friends and supporters of his across Australia and across the region. There have been enormous efforts across the Australian government to secure Professor Turnell's release, and we will continue to provide whatever consular support he and his family require.

Can I, at the outset, particularly acknowledge the tireless work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This outcome was the result of sustained strategic engagement and diplomacy by the government and by the department. DFAT officials in Canberra and across many posts in our region played a critical role in bringing Professor Turnell home. I particularly want to acknowledge the work of our head of mission, Angela Corcoran, her predecessor, Andrea Faulkner, as well as all of the Australian and locally engaged teams at posts.

Amongst their many duties, they delivered support packages to Professor Turnell in satchels with the Australian coat of arms, which, as he described to both the Prime Minister and I, in our separate calls with him, he proudly displayed in his cell. As he said to me, last week, his line was: 'Don't mess with the emu and the kangaroo'.

I also wish to thank DFAT's consular operations team, led by Ian Gerard, for their extraordinary dedication and focus and for their commitment and sensitivity to keeping Professor Turnell's family updated throughout the period of his detention.

One of the finest accolades that anyone could give was given by Professor Turnell, who told me that due to the work of DFAT and others he never felt alone. I commend DFAT and all those who had a role in this extraordinary result.