The real question here is why the Australian government is playing nice by issuing Assange a passport since it has refused to acknowledge evidence of a sealed indictment or provide him with any sort of substantial assistance to get him home in the last eight-plus years.
On February 21, 2019, the
Sydney Morning Herald reported that Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issued Julian Assange a new passport despite the fact that DFAT officials had reservations about doing so. According to the article, last year officials stated that Assange's "entitlement to a passport" might be affected by "an arrest warrant in connection with a 'serious foreign offence' within the meaning of
Section 13 of the Australian Passports Act 2005."
Section 13 of the Australian Passports Act states that an application may be rejected if the applicant is subject to an arrest warrant for a serious foreign offense, is restricted from traveling because of a serious foreign offense, or if the issuance of a passport would compromise proceedings connected with a serious foreign offense.
However, it would be extraordinary if the Australian government's reservations last year had anything to do with a U.S. indictment or charges against Assange, some of which may include charges under the Espionage Act, since it not only went ahead and issued the passport but as recently as last week maintained that there is no evidence of any U.S. charges against Assange.
In fact, parliamentary documents dating back to 2010 reveal not only that the government rarely takes seriously evidence in Assange's case, but also that it has embraced an entirely passive role in helping to secure his freedom, despite the fact that it has used government pressure and diplomatic power to help free other Australian citizens detained in foreign states.
Comment: As the author notes, Justin Trudeau "is a Prime Minister in name only". The author also notes that the "Canadian people got to hear from an actual MP about how corrupt our government really is. She exposed government behaviour that is usually hidden from the public and, more importantly, she exposed the root of that corruption."
The last decade alone in Canada is no exception as it operates at deeper levels at the behest of others (a very short list):