Australian state premier urged to discuss extradition with India
Updated
The Premier of the Australian state of Victoria, John Brumby, is in India at the moment trying to reassure the government, prospective students and their parents that Melbourne is a safe place to study despite the recent attacks on foreign students.
But his political opposition wants to know why the Victorian Premier has failed to raise the case of an Indian fugitive with the Indian Government during his trip there. The 19-year-old Indian student fled Australia after pleading guilty to culpable driving that killed one person and seriously injured another.
Presenter: Samantha Donovan
Speakers: John Brumby, Victorian Premier; Robert Clark, Victoria's Shadow Attorney-General
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SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Victorian Premier John Brumby has been on a mission in India to mend his state's reputation as a safe provider of top quality academic qualifications.
His message wasn't helped by the alleged assault last week of an Indian taxi driver by an AFL footballer.
And it seems Mr Brumby hasn't wanted to risk offending his hosts by raising another difficult issue.
Speaking in India, he told Channel Nine that he hasn't raised the case of the fugitive Indian student Puneet Puneet with any Indian officials.
JOHN BRUMBY: It wasn't on my agenda. It wasn't a priority in that sense. On the agenda there were other issues that the Indian ministers were very keen to discuss.
SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Nineteen-year-old Puneet allegedly fled Melbourne in June.
He'd pleaded guilty to culpable driving that killed 19-year-old Gold Coast student Dean Hofstee and seriously injured his friend Clancy Coker last October.
Puneet recorded a blood alcohol reading of .165 at the time of the accident in central Melbourne.
Victoria Police believe that Puneet, who'd surrendered his passport, used the passport of a fellow Indian student to leave the country.
Victoria's shadow attorney-general Robert Clark says John Brumby should have raised the case with Indian officials.
ROBERT CLARK: Part of his mission was supposed to be to try to restore the credibility of the Victorian and Australian justice system. I think that credibility was very badly damaged when someone who'd already pleaded to culpable driving was able to get out of the country simply by a fellow student's passport and flying out.
I thought it would have been in all of our interests for John Brumby to try to restore the credibility of the Victorian justice system by trying to arrange for the offender to be brought back to Australia.
SAMANTHA DONOVAN: When it comes to the welfare of Indian students in Victoria, John Brumby says Indian officials have made specific requests which he intends to act on.
JOHN BRUMBY: The thing that has come out of my meetings is the need for further follow up information so if there has been an attack, if someone has been injured, what has happened? Have police charged people? Has it gone to court? What's happened? What are the penalties been?
SAMANTHA DONOVAN: But Victoria's shadow Attorney-General Robert Clark says John Brumby has failed to get a similar update for Dean Hofstee's family on the search for Puneet.
ROBERT CLARK: It is and should be a two way street. Certainly he can update the Indian community of what's happening here but for Dean Hofstee's family to know what is happening about getting Mr Puneet back to Australia to face justice is very important indeed.
