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CANBERRA - Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus has scotched hopes that convicted drug trafficker Schapelle Corby and some of the Bali Nine could be back in Australia to serve out their sentences by year's end.
Labor has resurrected negotiations with Indonesia on a prisoner transfer treaty, with Mr Debus raising it during talks last week with Indonesia's foreign minister and attorney-general.
But he rejected reports the treaty could be finalised and Corby returned to Australia within a year.
"The government is committed to securing a workable and effective prisoner transfer agreement with Indonesia," Mr Debus said.
"However, it is premature to suggest agreement will be reached by the end of the year."
A treaty could allow Corby and at least three members of the Bali Nine drug ring to serve out sentences in Australian jails, closer to their families and in conditions more comfortable than Bali's Kerobokan prison.
Corby, arrested in 2004 at Bali's Denpasar airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in her luggage, was jailed for 20 years but has always maintained she was innocent.
Family friend Guy Pilgrim said he hoped the government would do its best to secure her transfer back home.
"I think they've sort of come to a realisation that it's not a civilised country over there and the prison system's even worse," he told ABC Radio.
"She's going to be much better in Australia, and plus it's going to be easier for more of the family to go and visit."
Australia has negotiated prisoner transfer treaties with a number of countries including the UK, US and Thailand.
Such agreements allow a prisoner convicted of certain offences to be transferred to their home country after serving a portion of a sentence. That requires the agreement of the prisoner, the host nation and the prisoner's home nation.
For those coming back to Australia, it also requires agreement of the government of the state in which the prisoner will serve out the sentence.
International law expert Don Rothwell said the former coalition government launched negotiations on a treaty with Indonesia and ministers Philip Ruddock and Alexander Downer both exerted considerable effort.
"Since then it has been uncertain as to why there have been delays," he told ABC Radio.
It was relatively straightforward to negotiate such an agreement with countries with similar legal systems such as New Zealand, he said.
"But when you are getting into a country which has a radically different legal system such as Indonesia where there are many more different appeal structures, where there are different criminal offences - and this cuts both ways for Indonesia and Australia - it's inevitable that there will be some different factors to be taken into account," Prof Rothwell said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd cautioned that some of the cases were still before Indonesian appeal courts.
"Therefore I think it would be completely unwise to comment on the state of those cases prior to them being finally and fully determined by the Indonesian courts," he told ABC Radio.
- AAP
