Australian politicians united in welcoming a Nigerian...

Australian politicians united in welcoming a Nigerian appeal court decision to spare Amina Lawal from death by stoning. But had that decision gone the other way, Australia was considering how it could bring Lawal to Australia under refugee provisions, the Australian Labour Party said. Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said Labour had made continual representations to the Nigerian High Commissioner in Canberra in an attempt to avert a potential tragedy. "In the eventuality that the court upheld Amina Lawal's sentence, the federal opposition 12 months ago initiated discussions with Foreign Minister Downer on ways in which Amina Lawal could have been lawfully removed to Australia under specific provisions of the Immigration Act," he said in a statement.