Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to lobby the leaders of the US and the UK to stop the extradition of Julian Assange.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday of the WikiLeaks founder to the US where he is wanted on 18 charges, including espionage and hacking.
If convicted, lawyers for the 50-year-old Australian have said he could face a jail term of 170 years. US lawyers said they believe the jail term would be more like four to six years.
"Don't wait til Monday, Albo... this has gone long enough," Mr Wilkie said on Saturday.
"I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has enough influence over the British prime minister to bring this to an end if he picks up the phone and says, 'end this madness'.
"I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has a good enough relationship with Joe Biden to pick up the phone to the US President and say, 'end this madness'."
Legal adviser to the Australian Assange Campaign, Greg Barns, said he was pleased to see Mr Albanese shift the government's tone on the issue, compared to former prime minister Scott Morrison.
"We respect the fact he doesn't want to use megaphone diplomacy, because these matters are delicate, as we saw with the [David] Hicks' matter," he said on Saturday.
"We want to see action, but we are there to support Mr Albanese and Senator Penny Wong in their effort to bring this Australian back to safety so he doesn't face what is an effective death penalty of over 170 years."
Mr Assange's wife, Stella, said the decision to approve her husband's extradition was a "travesty".
"We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue," she
told reporters in London.
"I'm going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served."
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) said Mr Assange's extradition to the US would be "a dangerous assault on international journalism".
"We urge the new Australian government to act on Julian Assange’s behalf and lobby for his release," MEAA media section federal president Karen Percy said in a statement on Friday.
"The actions of the US are a warning sign to journalists and whistleblowers everywhere and undermine the importance of uncovering wrongdoing."
"Our thoughts are with Julian and his family at this difficult time."
Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International also expressed its concern.
"Allowing Julian Assange to be extradited to the US would put him at great risk and sends a chilling message to journalists the world over," Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard said.
"If the extradition proceeds, Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Assange faces a high risk of prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment.
"Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history.”
"We call on the UK to refrain from extraditing Julian Assange, for the US to drop the charges, and for Assange to be freed."
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide consular assistance and that Australian officials will convey to US and UK authorities the need for Mr Assange to have "due process, human and fair treatment".
"The Australian government has been clear in our view that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close," she said in a joint statement with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.
"We will continue to convey our expectations that Mr Assange is entitled to due process, humane and fair treatment, access to proper medical care, and access to his legal team."
Mr Assange has 14 days to appeal to London's High Court, which must give its approval for a challenge, and he could ultimately seek to take his case to the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
