Last December, Australian lawmakers from across the aisle called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to join the U.S. and other countries in passing its own version of the Magnitsky law to "take the lead in developing a best practice targeted sanctions regime.”
Yet six months later, with Australia-China ties only getting worse, Morrison has still yet to pull the trigger on legislation that would allow his government to join allies in imposing coordinated sanctions against officials from the country’s largest trading partner.
When asked last week why the administration hadn’t introduced the bill, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne remained noncommital. "The government will continue to determine the path forward and respond when it’s able to do so,” she told a parliamentary hearing.