Hicks 'coming home' ???
Call me cynical, but gee, I feel an election in the air!
Jason Koutsoukis
February 18, 2007
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JOHN Howard is bowing to mounting pressure over the David Hicks debacle and is working to bring him home before this year's federal election, highly placed sources have revealed to The Sunday Age.
Attention on the Hicks case will intensify with the arrival of US Vice-President Dick Cheney on Thursday, and Prime Minister Howard is being pressed to defuse the issue.
With anger over the handling of the Hicks case growing across the community and within the ranks of the Coalition, a senior Howard Government adviser has revealed that the Prime Minister "wants this issue off the agenda before the election campaign starts".
"That means we bring him home. It is highly likely that David Hicks will be back in Australia before October and right now we are working out the politics of how we do that," the adviser told The Sunday Age.
Terry Hicks welcomed the possibility his son would return. "We can start getting the wheels in motion to get him looked at physically and mentally. At least here he'll have a chance," he said yesterday.
Mr Hicks was not surprised by the news, saying mounting public anger had turned his son's detention into a political issue forcing Mr Howard to act.
A spokesman for Attorney-General Philip Ruddock did not rule out the possibility that the Howard Government would seek Hicks' repatriation.
"We're very unhappy with the delay and we would like this matter settled as soon as possible. There are a range of options under which this can happen," Mr Ruddock's spokesman said.
"This includes a speedy resolution of the trial and the possibility that is open to Mr Hicks' counsel of accepting a plea bargain. But that is a matter for Mr Hicks' counsel and not anyone else."
Several prominent Liberal backbenchers concerned about the handling of the case were contacted by The Sunday Age yesterday and confirmed that they expected Mr Howard to seek Hicks' return before the election.
"I would be extremely surprised indeed if Mr Hicks was not home before the election," one Liberal MP said.
Another said: "Hicks is hurting us politically and John Howard knows it. Supreme political pragmatist that he is, I am certain he will eventually move to cut his losses."
A Government adviser said: "The politics on this have changed dramatically and Howard wants to clear the decks and get this issue away, but his preference is still to have Hicks charged. I think we will stick with that plan for now, but if anything goes wrong - delays, legal challenges, etc - he'll pull the trigger and decide to bring him home."
It is believed Mr Howard has confided to senior colleagues that while he remains convinced that Hicks should stand trial and be punished appropriately if convicted, further delays would make his continued detention "untenable".
Here's the link to the full story
Jason Koutsoukis
February 18, 2007
Page 1 of 2 | Single page
Other related coverage
JOHN Howard is bowing to mounting pressure over the David Hicks debacle and is working to bring him home before this year's federal election, highly placed sources have revealed to The Sunday Age.
Attention on the Hicks case will intensify with the arrival of US Vice-President Dick Cheney on Thursday, and Prime Minister Howard is being pressed to defuse the issue.
With anger over the handling of the Hicks case growing across the community and within the ranks of the Coalition, a senior Howard Government adviser has revealed that the Prime Minister "wants this issue off the agenda before the election campaign starts".
"That means we bring him home. It is highly likely that David Hicks will be back in Australia before October and right now we are working out the politics of how we do that," the adviser told The Sunday Age.
Terry Hicks welcomed the possibility his son would return. "We can start getting the wheels in motion to get him looked at physically and mentally. At least here he'll have a chance," he said yesterday.
Mr Hicks was not surprised by the news, saying mounting public anger had turned his son's detention into a political issue forcing Mr Howard to act.
A spokesman for Attorney-General Philip Ruddock did not rule out the possibility that the Howard Government would seek Hicks' repatriation.
"We're very unhappy with the delay and we would like this matter settled as soon as possible. There are a range of options under which this can happen," Mr Ruddock's spokesman said.
"This includes a speedy resolution of the trial and the possibility that is open to Mr Hicks' counsel of accepting a plea bargain. But that is a matter for Mr Hicks' counsel and not anyone else."
Several prominent Liberal backbenchers concerned about the handling of the case were contacted by The Sunday Age yesterday and confirmed that they expected Mr Howard to seek Hicks' return before the election.
"I would be extremely surprised indeed if Mr Hicks was not home before the election," one Liberal MP said.
Another said: "Hicks is hurting us politically and John Howard knows it. Supreme political pragmatist that he is, I am certain he will eventually move to cut his losses."
A Government adviser said: "The politics on this have changed dramatically and Howard wants to clear the decks and get this issue away, but his preference is still to have Hicks charged. I think we will stick with that plan for now, but if anything goes wrong - delays, legal challenges, etc - he'll pull the trigger and decide to bring him home."
It is believed Mr Howard has confided to senior colleagues that while he remains convinced that Hicks should stand trial and be punished appropriately if convicted, further delays would make his continued detention "untenable".
Here's the link to the full story