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Monday, 8 March 2004
Page: 21018


Senator BROWN (8:15 PM) —Senator Ludwig has just skewered himself on his argument. He says that the amendment that we have brought before this place would allow an appeal against a manifestly unjust sentence, but that is all. I invite the Labor Party to support an amendment the Greens have brought into this place which would at least give Hicks and Habib, if they are manifestly and unjustly sentenced in the United States, an appeal provision here in Australia. If that is the argument the Labor Party want to put they should support the narrow definition. The alternative is that they deny an appeal against a manifestly unjust sentence handed down in the United States—and an unfair sentence is what we are going to get because if you have an unfair trial you cannot get a fair sentence. It does not matter what the people involved have done, you must have a fair trial if you are going to get a fair sentence. I say to Labor: vote for this amendment because it deals with the unfair sentence which is coming; otherwise you are part of the problem.