Supporters are upping pressure on Anthony Albanese to use next week's trilateral AUKUS meeting in San Diego to lobby US President Joe Biden to drop espionage charges against Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
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Mr Assange's wife Stella Assange, his father John Shipton and Australian lawyer Stephen Kenny on Thursday addressed a cohort of supportive parliamentarians at Parliament House, including Andrew Wilkie, Matt Canavan and David Shoebridge.
The publisher is detained in the UK Belmarsh Prison, awaiting extradition to the United States on espionage charges. He faces 170 years in prison.
Amid unconfirmed reports of movement in the case, Mr Assange has been in legal limbo for almost 14 years, including seven years holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and there are serious concerns about his health.
Mr Shipton said his son recently experienced a minor stroke brought on by the stress of the situation.
He insists the Prime Minister would increase his stature in his first year on the job by making a "firm representation" to Mr Biden.
"Its more than an opportunity, it is the time when this matter can reach a resolution satisfactory to everybody and have Julian returned home to Australia to be with his family," he told The Canberra Times.
"This is an essential time for the resolution of Julian Assange's case. It's a political persecution. It's now entering its 14th year."
Mr Albanese has previously voiced his support for Assange, and told parliament last year that he had personally raised the matter with US government officials.
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Mr Shipton said he met with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong a few months ago, but the Albanese government is taking a quiet diplomatic approach behind closed doors.
He said the Australian consular had only visited Mr Assange twice in Belmarsh since he entered in 2019.
He also accused the Department of Foreign Affairs of using the "ruse" of consular diplomacy to hide "political inactivity" on the issue.
"We all know that has been a mantra of government for 13 years. I think it's been five prime ministers, four governments and four foreign ministers who have all had that similar mantra," Mr Shipton said.
"I take this as a ruse from which they hide behind to disguise the fact that they have not found the way to enter diplomatic negotiations because they quite well know that this is a political prosecution."
Mrs Assange spoke via video link from the UK, and said that support from the Australian government was a "major, major shift".
She said part of the discussions should also include practicalities for returning her husband to Australia, such as providing a safe flight path and settling their kids into local schools.
"I think we're at a near breakthrough and certainly the meetings between Biden and Albanese are a moment of where things are really coming into potentially for resolution," she said.
"It is mainly the two players here Australia and the United States, and certainly Australia has a very strong hand right now given the AUKUS deal."
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the case was even more relevant with the looming 20th anniversary of the Iraq war.
"It's pretty obvious that Julian's been the only truth teller of this war and he's the only one in jail and we haven't really learned much. So I think it's quite an important symbolic opportunity," Senator Whish-Wilson said.
Mr Assange is facing charges in connection with publishing leaked documents on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as leaking diplomatic cables.
DFAT has been contacted for comment.
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