 I was just thinking it's 57 years since I sat for my constitutional law exam in this great hall and 55 years since I received my degree on this stage. Then I really and truly believed we were building an exemplary country. I truly did being one of the post-war generation that we were creating a modern democracy. And then my law school, this university, descended into the Vietnam War protests and life went on. I've just peeled away every point I was going to make tonight as our wonderful speakers gave their addresses and in fact like Dean Yates actually gave admissible evidence. Quite a few of the speakers tonight would make witnesses and that's what the Belmarsh Tribunal is about. It's a wonderful idea and it's very clear to me that Julian is not a prisoner facing genuine judicial process. He is not. I won't rehearse what our colleague from the United States and what Dean Yates said and what the other speakers have said. It's clear that Julian in fact fits precisely what I've been contemplating for the last few months is the international definition of a hostage. And it's my proposition this evening that we commence moves to raise a motion through the support of sovereign states that are friendly on this issue or otherwise interested in the stir that there be a UN General Assembly resolution. I'll tell you why. In December 1979 the United States moved the United Nations General Assembly to support the then draft international convention against the taking of hostages. With very unusual alacrity the United States government signed the treaty the international convention against the taking of hostages two days after it was tabled in New York. Britain had already signed Australia got onto it in its usual leisurely pace. But the reality is I'll just read to you what the definition of a hostage is. Article one of that treaty pressed and now signed by 176 nations quite a number of whom who should support a motion in relation to it makes it an international criminal offence to seize and detain a person under any legal ruse and read legal ruse about the sort of deceitful indictments. When the objective is to compel a third party be it a state a non-government organization a judicial body or quote a group of persons read WikiLeaks to do an act or abstain or refrain by explicit or implicit condition and if you go to the statements by the United States concerning Julian they've made very clear that their pursuit of him is a conjoint enterprise to close down or otherwise limit the activities of WikiLeaks which is a lawfully established body of persons quote in Iceland. The conduct of the United States with its fabricated series of offences which probably I think it'll never want to bring to trial like the ones against me fits precisely the definition of hostage taking the United States itself pressed upon the world in 1979 and I want to call this evening for Ambassador Kennedy in Canberra to ensure that the transcript of the proceedings tonight the relevant aspects are transmitted direct to President Biden particularly before his visit so that the United States can consider whether if we all resolve and ask interested states to agitate at the United Nations General Assembly to hold the United States to account for hostage taking now not all of what has been done to Julian and not all of what isn't being done for Julian can be taking place without the complicity of senior bureaucrats I won't repeat what we've already been told this evening but in my view there's not going to be a change in this country until we have more robo debt type inquiries the persecution of witness just K was profound awful and silent and stealthy and still stealthy the indictments against me for conspiring with him to reveal the truth meant that we were indicted for revealing a crime criminal conduct by the coalition that's what we were indicted for I don't think over those four years and sixty court appearances we were ever going to get an answer to the question we sought which was the one that's asked every day of the week in every magistrates court that every lawyer does soon as they get a brief what are the particulars of the offence by Bernard Caleri he was never answered we never found out what was the secret that was revealed that's because the secret was something that would shock you the charges have been dropped against me but the orders issued under the national security legislation by Christian Porter have been left in place I'm still subject to those orders there's one word that rhymes with something that I can't even mention it's not over in this country those complicit bureaucrats those people who pursued witness K got a plea out of him and so eloquently did John here beside me explain his plea got a plea out of a man the revelation of whose identity would almost certainly put his family children grandchildren in great personal risk is a factor always when a man enters a plea to protect his own family there's a national shame about witness K that we must look into robo debt should just be the beginning and the failures for Julian Assange should also result in an adequate inquiry for the future I want to say this goth Whitlam had a marvelous career but it was a blemish and you know the blemish the one awful blemish was his tacit agreement with General Sahato relating to the occupation of East Timor I want to say as a grey old man to Anthony Albanese still in his prime don't leave an awful blemish on your legacy get Julian out of that place soon or if he perishes you will live with a terrible legacy thank you