AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Ready for
change

Kyrgios breezes
through to the
fourth round

News Review

Weekend Sport

Weekend

Kate McClymont: Richo, ICAC and the leak

News, Page 19

I N D E P E N D E N T . A LWAY S .

January 24-25, 2015

Mark
Ronson

The art of life on death row

Myuran Sukumaran,
left, and Melbourne
pastor Christie
Buckingham with a
painting of Andrew
Chan by Sukumaran.
Photos: Jason South,
Jason Childs

Jewel Topsfield
When Andrew Chan heard the fateful news he had lost his plea for
mercy, he and fellow Bali Nine ringleader Myuran Sukumaran were
taking the Norwegian ambassador
on a tour of Balis Kerobokan prison.
Sukumaran stoically proceeded
with the tour. He detailed the programs he and Chan had initiated in
the prison the computer, art,
painting, English and first aid
classes and the hygiene packs
with basics we take for granted,
including toothpaste, deodorant
and ear plugs, which Chan regularly distributes to prisoners.
But Chan had vanished and his
lawyer, Julian McMahon, was anxious about him.
Julian went to look for him and
found him with another prisoner
whose arm was paralysed, says

Cant stop
funking
things
up
Spectrum

Christie Buckingham, a pastor at

Bayside Church in Melbourne, who
travels to Bali four times a year to
visit Chan and Sukumaran.
He was holding his hand, counselling him and calming him down
while they waited for medical assistance. He could have easily
thought of himself and nobody
would blame him, but that is the
Continued Page 8

Are your
pets trying
to kill you?
News Review

Friendly fire Premier tells Tony Abbott to do more

Bairds refugee plea

Nicole Hasham,
Mark Kenny
Premier Mike Baird has called on
Prime Minister Tony Abbott to do
more to accept refugees, saying
Australias
economic
strength
means nothing unless we help the
worlds vulnerable.
Mr Bairds critique of Coalition
refugee policy came as Fairfax
Media established Mr Abbott has
been quietly ringing backbenchers

since the start of the year as he manages growing anxiety over his governments performance.
Speaking at an Australia Day
Council of NSW lunch on Friday, Mr
Baird said Australia was the lucky
country and should open our arms
to those around the world who are
much less fortunate than us.
Mr Baird, a committed Christian,
congratulated Mr Abbott on recently increasing Australias humanitarian intake for refugees, but said

he should do more. [There are

people] in incredibly difcult circumstances with nowhere to turn,
Mr Baird said.
Under the former federal Labor
government, the humanitarian program was set at 20,000 places, but the
Abbott government dropped this to
13,750 places in 2013-14. In December
the government pledged to increase
the annual humanitarian intake to
18,750 over the next four years.
The federal government has also

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attracted the ire of refugee advocates with its controversial stop the
boats policy of offshore detention
for any arrivals by boat people.
Federal Labor acting immigration
spokesman Matt Thistlethwaite
seized on the comments, saying it
was clear the Abbott government
had turned its back on refugees.
Fairfax Media has learnt Mr Abbotts calls have been made to selected backbenchers seen as inuential

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Continued Page 4

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