Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hails Bali Nine deal as ‘act of compassion’

Anthony Albanese has hailed the release of the remaining Bali Nine as an “act of compassion” from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

The federal government announced on Sunday that the last five members of the drug smuggling ring were being freed after nearly 20 years behind bars in Indonesia.

Australian governments sought to free them over the years to no avail, prompting questions around the Albanese government’s change in tact.

The Prime Minister on Monday insisted there was no “payback arrangement”.

“No, this is an act of compassion by President Prabowo and we thank him for it,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

“After 19 years in Indonesian prison, it was time for them to come home, and I had the opportunity to speak to a number of the parents, last night, of these people.

“They are grateful that their sons have been able to return home.

“They did a serious crime and they have rightly paid a serious price for it, but it was time for them to come home.”

Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj touched down in Australia on Sunday.

They were serving life sentences in Indonesia for their involvement in smuggling heroine out of the fiercely culturally conservative country.

Before their release Renae Lawrence was the only member to get her freedom.

Her sentence was commuted in 2018.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen also died from stomach cancer in 2018, while ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in 2015.

Mr Albanese has enjoyed a good relationship with Mr Subianto, who visited Canberra in August ahead of his inauguration to sign a bilateral defence treaty.

Mr Subianto has reworked his strongman image amid dark allegations he was involved in disappearing student activists while heading an elite military force used to stamp out domestic unrest under former dictator Suharto.

He was discharged from the military over the kidnappings but maintains he did not play a direct role.