Fremantle MP Josh Wilson leads charge to free Australian whistleblower Julian Assange

Fremantle MP Josh Wilson is leading the charge to free Australian whistleblower Julian Assange as the Prime Minister faces pressure to condemn his extradition to the United States.

Mr Wilson, who is a member of the Parliamentary Friends of the Bring Julian Assange Home Group, believes the WikiLeaks founder should be returned to Australia after being in Britain for nearly a decade following his incarceration for exposing US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said it was time the matter came to an end but agreed with Anthony Albanese that it should be done in a diplomatic way.

“I think the Prime Minister has put it right — these are matters that are best dealt with in a measured, respectful, and diplomatic fashion,” Mr Wilson told The West Australian on Tuesday.

“I don’t believe that there’s any purpose or justice in the extradition or further prosecution of Julian Assange.

“I agree with the position of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Attorney-General that it’s time for the matter to come to an end, and in my view it’s time for Julian Assange to be free.”

It’s understood the Federal Government has been making behind the scenes representations to the US and UK on the issue.

However, with Mr Assange possibly being on a plane to the US within weeks to face charges under the Espionage Act, Mr Albanese is being urged to make a public statement expressing Australia’s disappointment.

There are also calls for him to speak directly with US President Joe Biden in Spain next week when the two leaders attend the NATO summit.

It comes as Assange’s case was likened to that of former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, for whom the Howard Government secured a deal with the US to bring home in 2007, to serve the remainder of his sentence after being convicted of providing material support for terrorism.

“There must be a strong presumption in favour of free speech and a free press,” Mr Wilson said.

“Julian Assange is being pursued in relation to information that is being published by newspapers in the United States. That inconsistency just doesn’t make sense.”

On Monday, the Prime Minister said he stood by the comments he made in December that “enough is enough” on the Mr Assange matter and that he intended to “engage appropriately” on the case.

“There are some people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation mark, that somehow makes it more important. It doesn’t,” Mr Albanese said.

“I intend to lead a government that engages diplomatically and appropriately with our partners.”

It follows two of Mr Albanese’s ministers — Penny Wong and Mark Dreyfus — issuing a statement last week, saying the Australian Government believed the Mr Assange’s case had “dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close”.