From the Skying Center. This is Paul Murray Live. We may hear the first words from Julian massanj after returning to Australian soil in the next couple of minutes and you will see them here on Sky News. As you know, he has landed back in Canberra, back in Australia, the first time in Australia. I understand in the best part of fifteen years, and certainly we know all of the legal dramas, all of the up and downs that have
taken place tonight. I don't want to spend a couple of seconds not focusing on the good go bad guy part of this, but about how the perceptions of this man, his organization, his movement, his distrust of institutions has changed over the years. Now, as you know, he was greeted by jeers from supporters. He was able to physically re embrace his wife as a free man. And again we are expecting comments from mister Ossange and his representatives, his
family who are in Canberra with him. That will happen live the next couple of minutes. As soon as that starts to get close, you will start to see that at the bottom of your screen will of course interrupt every and anything we're doing, because that is the big and breaking news that literally is making worldwide headlines tonight. Now forgive me for finding a small moment of mirth inside this giant news story. And it was, of course, when Juliana Sange was appearing in an American court in
an American territory just north of Guam. Now we were told the only person who was flying from the United Kingdom to this territory was going to be Stephen Smith, a representative of the government in London. But you may well have noticed that, I'll make Kay Rudd, the ambassador of Australia to the United States, popped up and well he's stuck to him like glue. Not just because he wanted to be with a man who has supported for
a long period of time. I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but also because there was one or two cameras around and ka Rud saw this was the moment where he could get himself back into that into national spotlight. Now I don't know what happened, whether he left back and flew back to the mainland, or whether he was waiting on the plane with everyone else. We'll all find out
again as the night rolls on. But there are a couple of fascinating things to see about the what's next about Julia Massange now obviously time with family, a break all the rest of it. Does he go back to the central point of Wiki leaks and their efforts that got him into trouble in the first place, or does he have a political future in Australia. Now, the Senate is a place that is known to Juliana Massange because he's already run for it. And what a difference the
best part of a dozen years makes. It was back in twenty twelve when Julian Massange tried to join the Senate as he ran for a seat in Victoria, as I say, in the twenty and twelve election. Now, what will be interesting here is that if he wanted to go for a political future, he would of course get something that is a rare privilege, but an important privilege for people who want to say whatever they want and be free of any consequences, and that is parliamentary privilege.
Down the track this next election, the one after that, in five elections time, who knows whether that's what Julian Assange is going to end up doing or want to do, whether he can do it from a state with a larger population, or he can do it from a place that's probably even more favorable to his actions and to where he is tonight, and that is literally the place
he is tonight, the Act. Don't forget they are about to be changes to the number of senators that will expand the number of senators, meaning it won't just be two, but it'll be four that will be coming from the Act and the Northern Territory. Is this a path to
his future? We will all learn together. But again tonight, I want to take a couple of seconds, after this press conference has taken place, to not focus on the good go bad guy, but how things have changed, how dramatically things have changed, not just about how people perceive Julian Massange, but the battle around information, about which side of the information game is too big to defy or too big to ignore. It's an interesting chat and we'll
have it in a couple of minutes time. But of course the Prime Minister is owning this decision as one that is of course only possible because of his own efforts with President Joe Biden and a series of people underneath him. Yes, this is a significant decision which is only made possible because of Frankly, this combination of Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and American ambassador. And the Prime Minister is
not hiding from it. In fact, he was there when the country was watching Assange getting off the plane just before the foot he started.
And the objective here was to conclude these matters. They have been concluded. They've been concluded in a way that has achieved the outcome that was sought, which is Julian Assange is now home here in Australia.
The Prime Minister also very clear that this will be one of the significant achievements of his prime ministership, regardless of how long it goes.
He expressed his thanks to what he described as a diplomatic a team. When I spoke about the role that Kevin and Stephen have been able to play. Kevin Rudd worked very hard, as did Stephen Smith, as did the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as did the Chiney generalize did others as well.
All right, in the battle in and around which side governments for whether they fall on the diplomatic side the national security side. Very obviously they fell on Assner's side and pushed for this outcome. Again. In the next couple of minutes, we will hear from potentially mister Assarne himself, but certainly people are representing him. You'll hear all of that. He on Skyine. He's in a moment or two his time. But first let me try and jam in the rest
of the day's news because it is big. In fact, the biggest news story in Camber today was not the arrival of Julianus Arrange, even though that will be considered the bigger news. The bigger news is that inflation went up. Now,
this has serious consequences. Now, we've been told by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer when they were putting together and selling their federal budget that the decisions that they were announcing at the start of May were going to have little to know, in fact, the opposite effect on inflation than what actually happened in the month after they announced the budget, which was that inflation has gone.
Up, that our responsible and methodical and measured approach to the budget is keeping pressure off inflation. Our responsible and methodical and measured approach to the budget is keeping pressure off inflation. Their budget will put downward pressure on inflation. The budget will put downward pressure on inflation, not upward pressure on inflation.
But as I say, the reality of what has been announced today is that inflation has gone back up. Remember, two to three percent is what the Reserve Bank wants it to be, and that's when they start considering cutting interest rates. It got down into the mid threes. But
now we're back up over the falls. So if four percent was the average, have a look at all of the things that were above average in the past month, tobacco and tobacco taxes, which are part of the basket of goods under which they decide whether inflation is going up or down and whether or not there has to be a response Ya the Reserve Bank, Well, that's fairly obvious.
That goes through the roof petrol geez, who's been talking about petrol day in, day out, week in week out, and how the government is not going to touch anything to do with it, not just the commodity, but the taxation on top of it, insurance anyone who's tried to ensure their car, boat, house, all the rest of it. You know, it's gone up rent again, Alcohol, tobacco as a combination electricity. Now we were being told that power
bills were starting to go down. No, all it's about to happen is from July one, there'll be tenty five dollars a month from mansions to one bedroom units that we will all wait, watch and see together. Health, housing, education, people buying new houses. Transport again, not just what is happening when it comes to the cars we drive, but to all other forms of it. And fruit and vege. Now fruit and vege was actually going backwards when it came to inflation. Prices had dropped, but there had been
quite a significant change in the past month. When having to own this today, the man who was saying that his policies were doing the exact opposite of what they were doing, Grim Jim said this today.
And it's not unusual around the world in countries where inflation peaked higher and earlier than it did here in Australia. It's not unusual, particularly with these more volatile monthly figures, for the number two bounce around and zigzag on the way down.
Now part of the problem, of course, with ongoing inflation and inflation going the opposite direction of the two to three percent we're now at four percent of whether it reserve wants it to go is what the Reserve Bank will do. Now, Remember this government has fiddled with the way that the system works where we don't have monthly meetings. There's one every six ish weeks. But certainly at the next meeting, every indication is that the numbers were remain
the way they are. With a bunch of other inputs, we're probably going to get a dam increase, which is unbelievable.
Now.
Of course, of the last meeting that just took place a couple of weeks ago, the report was that the Reserve Bank didn't even consider cutting rates. In fact, there was a discussion held about whether they should go up. Make no mistake the information that took place today, the inflation number that appeared today makes the case towards an interest rate increase. Now, since this government came to power, there have been twelve interest rate rises. There was one
prior to that. But the difference between May twenty twenty two and today, and I've shown you this stat how many times fourteen and a half thousand dollars people are trying to pay off a loan of five hundred thousand dollars have had to fined twenty one thousand, if it's seven hundred fifty thousand dollars, or if for million dollars and above. Clearly the numbers go higher the more you go twenty nine thousand dollars you've had to find that you did not have to pay in May of twenty
twenty two. The immediate response to these numbers is not if, but when. Unbelievably, now we are talking about an increase to interest rates. Now we had thought there was some level of tapering off and maybe going down. But if inflation keeps going up these numbers, will they continue to
be high? Can Stars Steve, one of their economists, says, with scared evidence that inflation is moving towards the target ban, the Reserve Bank will feel uncomfortable waiting for three months for the following release of quarterly CPI and they will surely lift rates, repeat, surely lift rates in August. The risk of baked in inflation expectations are too high now. Amazingly, despite this being the actual fact, the Prime Minister spoke to his MPs today and trying to rev up those MPs.
He told them to go back into the streets and argue only cost of living, that this government is doing everything it can possibly do on cost of living, despite the fact that we have charted Uphill and Downdale on many many elements of detail, why that is not actually the case. And of course, amazingly, the very same people who are going to be telling you it's all about cost of living are the same people who got a pay rise last week. The Prime Minister is now up
to six hundred thousand dollars. Ministers their way over their mark as well, and of course the Government General beast on seven hundred thousand dollars. Now as we speak, as I say, we're standing by to find out what is about to happen here, which is a hotel in Caner. Let's take the wide shot if we can, guys, because as you can see, the preparation is there.
Now.
Wiki Leaks are trying to appeal for people to help try to raise the best part of I think it's seven hundred and fifty thousand Australian dollars, a little less in US dollars because the Australian government is the one who paid for the private jet and now WikiLeaks have to pay back the Australian government, presumably the press conference that is being used that is about to begin in a moment or two time. You can see all of
the media ready as they'll ever be. I'm seeing multiple camera angles here of the hotel, everything from the driveway where he will probably be arriving in moments, the door that he will be going through where there are Greens, senators among others that are waiting to welcome him into the room. And then of course those microphones where presumably we will hear from Julianasange. If not, we may well
see him, but hear from his family members. We just don't know exactly where it's going to be, but you can see QR codes and all the rest of it. This is an opportunity to get the word out to try to raise money to do their best to pay back seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That's what it costs to get a private jet to fly you from the UK to an American territory and then to Australia.
More in moments time. As I say, I'm seeing a lot of movement in and around this wholeel, tell I won't know exactly what the hotel is for of your security reasons but yeah, we will get some moments there, so I can quickly jump into another topic here, which is the media, of course, was rather excited about telling us that there was a Labor senator who voted against the Labor Party about this time yesterday. Labor Senator Fatima Payman faces expulsion from the party tonight after crossing the
floor and voting to recognize the state of Palestine. One of his senators has crossed the floor to side with the Greens. The Labor Senator Fatima Payman has crossed the floor of Parliament to vote with the Greens on a motion to recognize the state of Palestine. Well, who knew
you want an issue such as Palestine Israel? But certainly when it comes to punishment for those who vote against the government, we have to bring out the old each way, Alba, you know the very expensive graphic that we spent minutes thinking about building. That's because, surprise, surprise, one thing was said yesterday and another thing happened today. Now briefed out to the media last night was this expectation of what was going to happen to the senator. Remember, the first
senator to vote against government since the mid eighties. There is no mandated sanction in these circumstances, and previous caucus members acrossed the floor without facing expulsion, the expectation being
that there would be no punishment whatsoever. As I said, quick chick, if the history books tells us the last time a Labor person voted against their own government while they were in government was way back in the era when Bob Hawk was the Prime minister, and that was I think, I said last night nine to eighty six. I apologize. It is nineteen eighty eight. So the expectation was, well, we can't possibly do too much here because if we annoy her, she may end up leaving the party, going
into the going into the hands of the Greens. If that's the case, there could be a flow on effect when it comes to Islamic votes. Well, today we found out what the serious punishment was going to be for what was taking place. Well, guess what. Here is the punishment that she has received for being the first person for the Labor Party to vote against the government since nineteen eighty eight.
I met with Senator Punparly today. She will not be attending the Labor Caucus for the rest of this session. What I do as showed leadership for our United team.
Oh wow, what a punishment when the punishment could be you're booted out of the Labor Party. Because the Senate is so tight her number would be needed to still pass anything. They don't want to raise her profile other than what it currently is, not even the slap on the wrist. I think for most people they would consider not having to go to group work meetings as hardly a punishment. But thanks very much for the day off. Her punishment will be one meeting long. It will take
place next week and that will be it. However, the Greens wanting to try to force the scenario where she votes the same way again and then the punishments keep upping until she's either booted or she leaves the party. Thus the flow and effects of more Islamic votes or certainly pro Gaza votes making their way towards the Greens. So watch this space. I think there's going to be fair amount on that in the next sitting week. There's
another week to go in federal Parliament. Meantime, some eager EIDE people have noticed, well, okay, if you can cross the floor and all you do is miss one meeting, perhaps there's an opportunity when it comes to things other people in the Labor Party believe. Pettervan Onnsulin, running in the Daily Mail Today, interestingly noted what Labour MPs really think about nuclear power but are too afraid to say
in public. At least two Labor MPs think that the Commonwealth legislative ban on nuclear power plants should be removed, telling the Daily Mail Australia that or is stupid, unnecessary and out of date. The MPs indicated that they would even be willing to cross the floor so to pull a fatima if they will and support a coalition move to lift the band if the Prime Minister Anthony Abernezi were to guarantee they wouldn't face sanctions for violating party rules.
So put simply, if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for us. Literally, that's what the quote says. If it's okay for her to do it, then would didn't it be okay for the rest of us to exercise our conscience on other issues? This is the problem in terms of the party discipline stuff. Now in the Liberal Party they don't have this rule, and the Labor Party they do, yet they will selectively enforce it. Depending on what the political consequences are. One rule for one run,
rule for everyone else. It's kind of a perfect embodiment of the way this government works.
Right.
We shouldn't be afraid to left the nuclear ban, says one of these people, and they should do so soon. Championing lifting the band would be political suicide. So no thank you, says another MP when asked about it. In terms of the preparation of this story. Meantime, as we stand by for this conversation, which can be taking place a couple of moments time, I'm just watching the latest live pitches that are coming to us from canber It's the same in terms of the lectern, but more people
are moving their way in. Rob is there. I noticed Cameron, who's worked with us for some time. He's there to cover the event, along with many other people inside the news ecosystem of Canberra. I'm looking at the standby pictures as well of people around the doors. So everyone's in place and will wait and see what is taking place.
In moments time. I'm just bouncing in and out because I want to check as much as you so I can see whether I've got enough time to quickly squeeze another point in which I will now do this time it is about one of the consequences of the COVID lockdowns, the COVID lockdowns that so many want us to forget about, that we will not have a royal commission into despite the fact that every single person who died alone and the people whose family were left behind, all of those
people deserve that royal commission. But we know it's not going to happen. Why because they'd have to go after some of the disastrous decisions of the States, including this decision. At the time that the North Faced Man was giving us daily press conferences, collective surgery other than four category one and the most urgent category two patients will be
suspect bended forth with now. At the time, we said that this was a disgrace because many people who have so called elective surgery are people who have basically anything but life saving surgery. Now, this can be the most serious things which are borderline touch and go through the yes, cosmetic procedures, but the extreme majority of people with so called elective surgery, they need it because they're in pain, because they will get sicker the longer that they haven't
been able to have it. We argued against this at the time, but we all know anything Dan said was the law and that was the way it was. Well, surprise, surprise. When you turn around and delay for a couple of years the number of people who can have so called
elective surgery, the lists blow out. These are the latest numbers which come from the Stratian Institute of Health and Welfare that just in the financial year twenty two to twenty three, seven hundred and thirty five thousand people ended up having their elective procedures, but another a one hundred and fifty five thousand people were added to the waiting lists. Now, amazingly, we've had to get a story out of Victoria today that tells us that elective surgery waiting lists are set
to balloon. Why because of budget decisions have been made by the same government of which Andrews was a leader. But of course now is he just goes off to the lifetime pension, he gets the Gold Medal for services
to public health. But the reality was while he was campaigning in hospitals of the last state election, just like when it came to the Commonwealth Games, that was all the performance because the reality was that there are hospitals which are now seeing things like anetheists having their contracts cut because there's no money to pay for them. No Aethecists, of course, no surgery, no surgery, Longer waiting lists, longer
waiting lists, more pain. More pain equals more sickness. We read here from today in the age doctors worn elective surgery lists will balloon due to budget cuts as hospitals are forced to scale back operations to meet financial demands from a cash strapped Victorian government. Some doctors at Saint Vincent's Hospital on the Park in East Melbourne, one of eight rapid access hubs to established to clear a massive pandemic backlog, have been told their contracts will not be
renewed again. The disgrace that is giving a gold medal to Daniel Andrews four public Health when the reality is that his long term effects on public health have been disastrous. Let's go full screen now with what you can see in camp, because obviously we are about to see something. In fact, I believe this is julianus Antres, lawyer speaking now.
We are absolutely delighted to be home. It's a very emotional return home to Australia. It was a very long journey home to Australia. It started two days ago. Julian was released from bail in the UK early on Monday morning, UK time. We had to spend twelve hours in stan Said airport before we boarded a flight to Bangkok, another eight or nine hours in Bangkok before we flew to Saipan,
where Julian entered his plea. We are absolutely delighted, after a very long and complex negotiation with the US government, that we've reached this plea deal that enabled him to come home to Australia as a freeman. The agreement is that he will spend no more time in prison. The terms of the plea deal are unfortunately that he in order to achieve his freedom and to leave the high security prison in Belmarsh, he had to plead. He had to choose to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage
for publishing evidence of US war crimes human rights abuse. Yes, guys, it's really hard to do this when there's so much going on, noise going on the background, Thank you very much. In order to win his freedom, Julian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage for publishing evidence of US war crimes, human rights abuse, human rights abuse, and US wrongdoing around the world. This is journalism. This is the criminalization of journalism.
And while the plea dealer does not set a judicial precedent, it's not a court decision, the prosecution itself sets a precedent that can be used against the rest of the media. It's important that journalists all around the world understand the dangerous precedent that this prosecution is set. An award winning Australian journalists who's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for these olcations, has spent more than five years in a high security prison because of this extradition request from
the United States. We are absolutely thrilled that Julian is now home in Australia. I can say when we landed here in Australia, I became very emotional the moment we landed and the Prime Minister was the first person to get on the phone to speak to Julian. Julian thanked him and the team and told the Prime Minister that he had saved his life and I don't think that's
an exaggeration. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister Prime Minister Albanezi for his principal leadership, the statesmanship and diploma see that he showed in leading the effort to bring Julian home to Australia. It was as opposition leader that he said enough is enough, that there was nothing to be saved by Julian's ongoing incarceration. As Prime Minister, he kept his word. He raised it
at the highest level. At every single opportunity. He has continued to ask the US to bring this to an end, and his efforts completely changed the situation for Julian and enabled our negotiations with the US government that allowed us
to reach this outcome. I also want to thank our Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, our former Prime Minister, whose relentless efforts in Washington, working together closely with us, with myself and my co council Barry Pollock, completely changed our relationship with the US and completely changed the negotiations. Without his efforts and his adept diplomacy, not be in the position we are today and Julian would not be home.
I also want to thank Stephen Smith, our High Commissioner in London, who worked tirelessly and the team at defat the consulor staff who really facilitated our trip home and were incredibly kind to Julian along the way. This is a huge win for Australia and for Australian democracy. This is a huge win for free speech. This is a
huge win for Australia. That our Prime Minister stood up to our ally the United States and demanded the return of an Australian citizen, and that Julian came home today is the product of fourteen long years of legal battles, political advocacy and ongoing campaigning not just by us, but by so many people in this community. A global movement was created around Julian and the need to protect free speech, and it's that global movement that has led to his
release today. We want to thank everyone who has joined us in this fight, who have supported us along the way, because without that support and the campaigning that's been done, we just wouldn't be in this position. Julian is incredibly grateful for the support that he's had from the Australian government and from the public here in Australia, and we're delighted that he's home. He's finally home. I'm going to invite my I'm happy we might take questions. I might
just at the end if that's okay. But I'd like to invite my us CO Council, Barry Pollock, to come and address you about the clea deal.
Good evening earlier this evening, earlier today, in a courthouse in Sapan, we had a hearing that brought to a close at prosecution that never should have been brought. Julian Assange has for so many years sacrificed for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. He's sacrificed his own freedom, and finally today that tragic situation ended, and we are all grateful that Julian is back home in Australia where he belongs, back with Stella, back with his children, reunited
with his father. It is unprecedented and unprecedented in the United States to use the Espionage Act to criminally prosecute a journalist or a publisher. It's in the more than one hundred year history of that law, it has never been used in this fashion. It is certainly our hope that it will never again be used in this fashion.
Julian spent years in bell Marsh. No one should spend a day in prison for giving the public newsworthy and important information, in this case, information that the United States government had committed war crimes, that there were civilian casualties exponentially greater than the United States government had admitted in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was definitely in the public's interest to have this information, and Julian provided it to the public.
He performed a tremendous public service, not a crime. The problem with the Espionage Act is there is no First Amendment defense in the Espionage Act. It does, by its terms, not matter the reason why you publish the US For years, the US government has claimed that these publications did great harm. Today in court, the United States Government admitted that there is not a single person anywhere that they can produce
that was actually harmed by these publications. Hopefully this is the end, not just of the case.
Again, I wish to thank the Prime Minister Alvin Easy the officials who have been working in defect on securing Julian's release. I'd also like to thank the Australian people who have made this possible because without their support, there would not be the political space to be able to achieve Julian's freedom, and that support is across the board. I think hm the opposition for also supporting Julian's release.
It took all all of them. It took millions of people, It took people working behind the scenes, people protesting on the streets for days and weeks and months and years, and we achieved it good Julian. Julian wanted me to sincerely thank everyone. He wanted to be here, but you have to understand what he's been through. He needs time,
he needs to recuperate, and this is a process. I ask you please to give us space, to give us privacy, to find our place, to let our family be a family, before he can speak again at a time of his choosing. I think it's important to recognize that Julian's relief and breakthrough in the negotiations came at a time when there had been a breakthrough in the legal case in the UK in the extradition, where the High Court had allowed
permission to appeal. There was a court date for the ninth and tenth of July and upcoming court date in which Julian would be able to raise the first Amendment argument at the High Court, and it is in this context that things finally started to move I think it revealed how uncomfortable the United States government is in fact of having these arguments aired because this case. The fact is that this case is an attack on journalism, it's an attack on the public's right to know, and it
should never have been brought. Julian should never have spent a single day in prison. But today we celebrate because today Julian is free.
Kay ten of questions, just address them to the individual and.
I'll tell you when we're out. I think the first.
Question, Robinson, is the return of Julian Assigne has revived this huge debate about whether his activities were right or right.
And we've seen political figures in the US and in Australia.
Here say that he's no hero, that his.
Disclosures lies at risk.
Some Democrats don't like the disclosures about Hillary Clington, for instance. What's your response to this sort of fundamental argument that's been made against Jillian Assigne, that he lives at risk, for instance, and that his disclosures were not in the public interests.
Well, well, to start with, there's no evidence of any actual harm, and that's exactly what the US government acknowledged in court today. And Sipan So there is no evidence that anyone was physically harmed to result of those publications. The public interest in those publications is clear evidence of war crimes. So the US had not disclosed the extent of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, the use of torture, and other forms of human rights of use around the world.
There is no denying the public interests in wikilikes publications, which is reflected in the reasons why Wiki Lakes has won the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism the Sydney Peace Prize. That the fact that Julian has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since those publications. So to suggest that this was not in the public interest, I don't understand the basis of from which they could possibly suggest that, and so I think it's this is clear.
Still luck from the other questions, which is not helping us. That moment on the tarmac where you embraced Julian must have been incredibly surreal that the moment you.
Realize that this was a design are.
Yes, it was overcome by emotion when when I first heard that there were crowds to hearing that I didn't even know were there behind a fence because it was dark. And then I heard them cheer more and more and flashes, and then I turned the corner and then I saw that Jillian was coming and and we embraced. And I mean, I think you've seen the pictures. I don't want to express in words what is obvious from from the image Julian. Julian needs time to recover, to to get used to freedom.
Someone told me yesterday who who had been through something similar, that freedom comes slowly, and I want Julian to have that space to rediscover freedom slowly and quickly.
Yestiles earlier, I think he may not have read them. You now have the opportunity just remind us of how that actually performed. The d n C and the corruption within the good for the Democratic Natural Congress.
Yes, Look, there was a huge there was clearly public interest in the DNC materials that.
Was released by Wiki Leakes.
And in terms of the legality of those publications, there's a there's a US Court decision showing that it had the highest possible protection of the First Amendment. So from a principal point of view, people might not like the politics of any particular publication, but that publication is absolutely protected by the First Amendment, as US courts are found.
Does that mean.
Conditions to.
I thinks best Barry speaks to the chance.
To play do There are absolutely no restrictions on aunt Julian. The case against him is over. Uh, there is no gag order. Uh, there are no other restrictions.
Uh.
He is going to be able to go back to uh whatever life he chooses to build, uh with Stella in his his family. The Uh, the negotiations were protracted UH process Uh that uh went on for several months. UH sort of inn fits and starts. Uh. There We were not close to any sort of a resolution until a few weeks ago when the Department of Justice re engaged and there have been very intense negotiations over the
last few weeks. One thing we were very clear about was that any resolution would have to end this matter and that Julian would be free. That he was not going to do additional time in prison. He was not going to do time under supervision. He was not going to do time under a gag order. So that was one absolute requirement. Another significant point of negotiation was where the plea would be taken Julian did not want to
come to the United States in any form. Ultimately, obviously we negotiated Saipan a hunder conditions where he would be released in the UK, he would come to Saipan, not as a prisoner of the United States or of the United Kingdom, and that we would come in and leave on the same day, which is exactly what happened. And
other provisions of the plea that were very significant. The United States agreed that they are not going to bring any other charges against Julian for any conduct, any publications, any news gathering, anything at all that occurred prior to the time of the plea. So even if he had prevailed in the extradition proceeding, that would have just resolved this case. This resolves any possible case that the United
States could bring against Julian for any subject matter. So that was obviously very significant to us.
So, yes, today what pomes for potted to be managed to Julian?
How do you see that signing out?
Would you like the Australian governments? Would that call what could be constably ninused to actually achieve.
That that commonlity.
M look, I think today we celebrate Julian's freedom. Today is the day that the plea deal was approved by
the judge. I think it's also a day where I hope journalists and editors and publishers everywhere realize the danger of the of thish US case against Julian that criminalizes that has UH secured a conviction for news gathering and publishing information that was in the public interest, that was true, that the public deserved to know, and that precedent now can and will be used in the future against the
rest of the press. So it is in the in the interest of all of the press to seek for this UH current state of affairs to to UH change through reform of the Espionage Act, through increased press protections and yes, eventually when the time comes, not today a pardon.
How hopeful.
That your husband will be pardoned? And what do you think is doing at the absolute core that the shifting that's enabled these minutes.
I think friend of the press is in a very dangerous place. It's not it's not evident that it will move towards more protections, but rather less there needs to be a conscious and joint effort to push back, and that pushback should have that pushback should have resulted in the dropping of the case against Julian. Unfortunately that didn't happen. That would have been the only good outcome for the
press in general. If if the US government had abandoned this case entirely, now you have you have the press in a as vulnerable position as Julian has been. And that that came the day the indictment came down. Let's be clear about that. That didn't come down with this conviction. And frankly, that mobilization should have happened years ago, and that's what enabled the conviction. I think he'll be pardoned if the press unite to push back against this precedent,
because it affects all of you. It affects your future ability to inform the public and to publish without fear.
In the coming days.
No comment.
Harry has three more questions here still here.
But what I can say from the phone call with the Prime Minister's small this afternoon when we land, is that he is delighted that still are enjoyed are both now in Australia, and we certainly hope that at some point they'll be able.
To meet time to keep bargy with week Lakes and published more documents.
And look, he just arrived in Australia after being in a high security prison for over five years and a how long seventy two hour flight or something like that. It's premature. Julian has to recover, that's the priority. And the fact is that Julian is will always defend human rights, will always defend victims. He's always done that and that's just part of who he is. Is deeply principled and he remains deeply principled and unafraid.
Thank you very much, everybody.
Julia Sange's wife and two principal lawyers there at the end of a press conference at a hotel in Canberra. You could see there there were multiple times when people as part of the traditional Canberra press gallery would be asking questions and then clearly a series of supporters were at the back of the room at times jostling with
some of those reporters. But it's a day that the media, talking about the media would be somewhat of the distraction from the real deal, which is that Julian no sane is home is home in Australia, and as his wife said about his future as to whether he goes back into Wiki leaks that would be premature. He needs to recover. Interesting to know from his American lawyer that there is no gag orders. The conversation you heard usked a few times by again both the traditional canber media and other
people that were in the room. Should he be pardoned? Now, this I presumable go all the way to the presidential debate, and the question will probably come up there because literally we've seen a scenario where Donald Trump has flirted with it in the past as a way to get to libertarian votes. Biden is clearly the one who made the decision upon the playing of the Australian officials to say time served and game over. Whether he's willing to go all the way to a pardon, we'll all find out
in the next couple of days. Now, let's get into a conversation that thankfully we do have time to talk about with Christen Abram, who is a libertarian and no doubt rather happy this evening, and none other than Graham Lloyd, wh's editor from the Australian newspaper. We will find out
his position right now. So we've all heard, and I wanted to make sure that everyone heard all of that because it didn't want us to be accused or anyone else of cutting things off and part of the deep state and all of that other stuff that's going to go around. But Graham, something that I have found fascinating just thinking about it in the past couple of days. And I'm not going to have the good guy bad
guy conversation. Everyone else can to have that. Let's compare the circumstances of say, two thousand and ten to now, when the distrust of institutions is something that has grown, and I would suggest at times it's grown because of the behavior of those institutions, which has seen a person like Assange go from his original casting self casting as an anarchist, all the way through to what we're seeing now where the Prime Minister is holding a press conference
owning his return. That is one hell of a change in national and international mood that I think is really a big part of this story.
That right, good evening, Paul Well, there has been a complete breakdown in trust, if you like, in the institutions, particularly in parts of America, to a lesser extent probably here, there's also been a huge rise in the ability and capacity of the online world. Julian Nosange is presenting himself as a journalist. That's debatable. Certainly, he was a publisher. He was publishing without vetting material.
And he was able to do that.
Because the Internet would allow him to dump huge volumes of material. As the Internet has risen, we've seen people can sort of choose their narrative if you like, And that's all part of a big ground swell that Julian Lossage was probably right at the foundation of.
And again, Kristen, again just just looking at what I think is the a bigger tectonic shift in and around all of this is again the centering of the Internet as an information distribution system as opposed to where we were in two thousand and six, two and ten, where very obviously now there are people who are heard on podcasts and seen online who have much bigger following than
television stars of the United States. Now, obviously there's that first dump of information, then there's the second version of it, which of course did bring in other media organizations to start to filter through to now a place where people wouldn't trust anything. But there are some people that would not trust anything but an outside source for news.
What do you think, Yeah, look, I think Joanna Signe has been the biggest campaigner for a free speech that I have seen in my lifetime. He's been facing this for nearly a half the three quarters of my lifetime. We went to the Libertarian Party went to the twenty twenty two election with a free speech policy which also outlined that to bring our boy home, bring Julian Assange home. And I am honored to be sitting in the Sky News studio today to watch that piece of history of
bringing Julian Assange home. The thing about free speech is to ensure that we all continue to have it, you also have to protect the free speech of the people that you don't agree with, the people that are talking rubbish. It is a protection for all of us and it is unwavering that we all have to fight for. So Juliana Sange, I do believe as journalist he continued the pursuit of the truth in the public interest and what other way would you define journalism at well.
Graham also to where we are right now, and again to those that have been committed to the show for a long time, My view, like many has evolved and changed. I'm not jumping out on a skin tonight, but I say, time served, game over right, because if Chelsea Manning, the person who actually took the information, is out of jar, well, then obviously the person who published it should be as well. That decision was made a long time ago, a sun
spent more time behind bars. But I remember, you know, copying of flaming from wiki leaks, because again I hadn't quite believed the conversion from the bloke who was on the Colbert Show a long time ago to the Walkley winning guy and all the rest of it. But Graham again, as narratives go, and it does look like this again. The tectonic shift that I find fascinating here is that previously it was the state and the establishment that was able to set a narrative of good guy bad go right.
We're now in a scenario where the st and the people who work on its behalf, whether they know or not, are nowhere near as powerful as they used to be. And that's what I found amazing was that we had Anthony Alberizi basically as loud as he could in live real time, not hiding, doing it right in the middle of a time when people were watching as the plane was landing, to own it and sees immense, immense strength that comes out of the people who support Juliana Sangje.
But I found that incredible that it was the PM, not a minister, not somebody else. He was there front and center beating his chest.
Well, certainly the Prime Minister has seen that there is a ground well of support for Julian Massage, just as there are a lot of people who don't respect what he did. But the story today, it's really a human story, is that you alluded to the time that he has spent in prison, and after all of that he has been released. That's dragged on for a long time, and it's disappointing really that it is an imperfect legal process. A lot of the issues of the free speech and
other things weren't properly tested. The time spend in prison revolved around his refusal to accept extradition, and so that once he'd sort of put the time in the bank, it was traded off against the offense. There wasn't a big unpacking of that offense and how it relates to those broader issues of the media and free speech. In a court of law, that may be the wrong place for that to have happened. But what we're left with is a man who needs to go and rebuild himself.
He's obviously got the loving support of family, and that is the emotional story that people are invested in today.
Yeah, I think that moment. Just look again, we all know where the front page are going to be to morrow and whether it's going to be sort of the feast up where it's going to be the embrace both of those fairly obviously emotional. Kristen again the where to from here? Would you like to see a scenario where Assange goes quiet and rebuilds himself or you want to hear from him sooner rather than later.
I personally think that the prison sentence hasn't ended for him. He's got a lot of work to do. I would assume he comes with a lot of you know, psychological trauma that has he's endured through this process. He has missed his children growing up because of him campaigning for free speech selfishly as a libertarian. I would love for him to come join the Libertarian party and bang the free speech argument home. You know, Juliana Sange, if you're
watching this, please come to us. But if he's not, I completely understand that you spend some quality time with your kids that you know you can't get those years back.
Well, whether there's a political future or not, I suggested earlier on the show, it might be wide because nary privilege comes with that political experience should he end up in the Senate or somewhere else. But we'll all find out together. Thank you very much, guys, I do appreciate it. I wanted to have that not good guy, bad guy conversation, but just to see how much our world has changed in the years since the first dump, the charging, the jailing,
and now the return of Juliana Sange. We'll get back to it again tomorrow and Meghan Kelly will be our guest as we ProView the debate between Trump and Biden, where no doubt the pardon will come up.