SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Assange or seat warmer for WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks Party founder Julian Assange says if he wins a Senate seat on Saturday, his running mate may fill the position - for good.

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

The man who will keep Julian Assange's Senate seat warm if the WikiLeaks founder wins at the election could find himself permanently in the position if he does a good job.

Mr Assange is the party's lead candidate for the Victorian Senate, but remains in refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

He must take up the position within several months of the term beginning on July 1 next year, or have his seat filled by party running mate Dr Binoy Kampmark.

Mr Assange said if he was able to return to Australia after Dr Kampmark had taken up the seat, he wouldn't necessarily kick him out.

"What we've said is that he would hold the seat if I was unable to return, until at least such time that I could return," he told ABC Radio on Friday.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"He'd be keeping it warm, (but) I wouldn't want to be in a position where Dr Kampmark was really turning out to be an excellent senator then I would come back and demand to knock him off.

"We're a team so we would see what the performance was in the Senate.

"If it was viewed that I would be a stronger performer in the Senate then I assume he would be happy to hand the seat over."

Mr Assange posted a message to his supporters and volunteers on the party website urging them to "pull out all the stops" to secure victory in the election "mission".

"Everyone together in the final push for votes ... manning the polling booths, getting the posters up and social media are going to make all the difference," he wrote in the post on Thursday.

Mr Assange said receiving more than four per cent of the vote would secure financial support for the party and its ongoing work.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world