The Australian government has said it would make no more representations to the US on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's circumstances because his case "doesn't affect Australian interests".
This comes as prosecutors at the trial of US soldier Bradley Manning have openly targeted the WikiLeaks publisher as a conspirator engaged in espionage, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr's declaration that he would not "over-service" Assange's consular needs came after US military prosecutors left no doubt that they regard the WikiLeaks chief not as a journalist dealing with sources but as a conspirator in the theft of classified information.
US prosecutors made repeated references to Assange this week, alleging at the opening of Private Manning's trial that the WikiLeaks publisher had directly encouraged and aided the soldier's massive leaks of classified documents.
The US has alleged that Assange conspired with Manning in the theft of classified information, including advising the soldier on finding ways to browse SIPRNET (a secure database) anonymously.
When asked whether the Australian government would raise the question of Assange's free-speech protection as a journalist under the First Amendment to the US constitution, Senator Carr said that it wouldn't be a matter of concern to Australia to make a case for him.
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Senator Carr also said that no further inquiries would be made because "it doesn't affect Australian interests".
Assange is subject to a Swedish extradition warrant concerning sexual assault allegations and has been granted diplomatic asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.