Palmer pushing bill to stop AFP endangering Aussies
CONTROVERSIAL Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer is calling on locals to boycott Bali, holiday at home and cut ties with Indonesia, as he aims to ensure no more Australians are executed abroad.
Mr Palmer confirmed this week that he would be introducing a bill, sponsored by independent Cathy McGowan, to impose penalties of up to 15 years' imprisonment for officials guilty of passing information on to foreign bodies that led to an Australian national receiving a death penalty.
Mr Palmer said his proposed Foreign Death Penalty Offences (Preventing Information Disclosure) Bill 2015 had come about after an outpouring of support from his electorate.
"The proposed bill is a result of many written and verbal discussions with my constituents from my electorate," Mr Palmer said.
"I'm confident that this bill will be passed."
The polarising Coast MP was quoted earlier this week as saying officials should not be able to divulge information to foreign authorities that unnecessarily placed the lives of overseas Australians at risk.
"If the Australian Federal Police are aware of Australians involved in a capital punishment crime committed in a foreign country, then they should not be allowed to provide information which could expedite the death penalty," Mr Palmer said.
"In the very saddening case of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, if these two Australian citizens were arrested on their return to Australia their lives would be saved.
"I have called for Australians to cancel their Bali holiday and holiday in Queensland instead. I have called for companies to close down their Indonesian operations."