Anthony Albanese draws inspiration from classic Paul Kelly Christmas song while justifying Bali 9 return

Anthony Albanese drew inspiration from Paul Kelly’s iconic festive season song to justify the controversial return home of the remaining Bali 9 drug smugglers in time for Christmas.

The Prime Minister said the five freed drug traffickers had paid a “significant price” after they were convicted in 2005 of trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin from Indonesia to Australia.

But he said the criminals’ families had also paid a heavy price “each and every day that they were absent from Australia”.

He went on to reference Kelly’s song.

“Tomorrow, I think, is ‘Gravy Day’,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“Australians speak about what it’s like to have someone who’s a loved one — they sing the great Paul Kelly song — in jail over Christmas — ‘who’s going to make the gravy’

“Well, their families had their loved ones in jail for 20 Christmases, and that was enough.”

Matthew Norman, 38, Scott Rush, 39, Martin Stephens, 48, Si Yi Chen, 39, and Michael Czugaj, 38 spent more than 19 years in Indonesian prisons but returned to Australia last weekend.

After spending four days in the federal Howard Springs accommodation facility near Darwin, the smugglers returned to their respective homes on Thursday.

The ringleaders of the operation, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed by firing squad in 2015 despite requests for clemency from the then-Coalition government and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Co-conspirator Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in jail of cancer in 2018 and Renae Lawrence was released the same year after her sentence was commuted.

Mr Albanese thanked Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for having delivered on a promise he made when the pair dined in Canberra in August.

They had further discussions on the sidelines of the G20 summit in November.

This week, Indonesia also released Philippines drug trafficker, Mary Jane Veloso, who received a last-minute reprieve from execution by firing squad for drug trafficking in 2015.

The 39-year-old arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday after years of negotiations.

Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after being found with 2.6kg of heroin concealed in a suitcase.

Mr Albanese said the five Australian drug smugglers had done their time.

“It is time for the Bali 5 to have come home. They committed a serious crime, they paid a serious price for that crime,” he said.

“We don’t discount that or do anything other than to confirm that we respect Indonesia’s laws.

“And it is a message as well, a reminder for people out there travelling, that Australians are subject to the laws of countries they are in.

“Don’t be stupid, essentially. Don’t take a risk like that.”

The PM went on to wish everyone watching a Merry Christmas, a holy Christmas and happy Hanukkah.

“And I just tell everyone, regardless of whether you’re of faith or of no faith, or whatever faith you have, this is a time where the road toll goes up every year, so please drive safely,” he added.