Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are considering all options – including the dramatic step of recalling Australia's ambassador to Indonesia – in a sign of the federal government's growing fury at the looming executions of Bali nine duo Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
As Canberra publicly stepped up calls for clemency for the pair on Monday, Ms Bishop said she was "profoundly dismayed" at the looming executions but refused to comment publicly on what the government's response might be.
Ms Bishop also revealed the Australian government asked Indonesia not to announce the pending executions on Anzac Day, but that request fell on deaf ears and that she was "very disappointed that it proceeded in this way".
Behind the scenes, discussions are underway at the highest levels of the Australian government about Canberra withdrawing Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson.
Canberra did not, for example, recall Australia's ambassador to Singapore after the execution of Van Tuong Nguyen in 2005, nor was the Australian ambassador recalled from Malaysia in 1986 or 1993 when Australian citizens were executed.
If the withdrawal of Australia's ambassador to Jakarta went ahead, it would likely be couched in the standard diplomatic language of "bringing the ambassador home for consultations" for several months.
Australia in the past has typically taken the pragmatic view that its interests can be better represented by leaving ambassadors in place even after sharp disagreements with other countries.
In line with the actions of other countries – Brazil and the Netherlands both withdrew their ambassadors after two of their citizens were executed in January – the move is being considered to express Australia's extreme displeasure.
But the view inside the Abbott government is the Bali nine case has gone beyond that of a normal diplomatic hitch, especially in view of the international outcry it has provoked, culminating at the weekend with a special plea from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for a death penalty moratorium.
And even as it has faced an international backlash, Indonesia has forcefully pressed other countries to spare the lives of its own nationals when they are convicted of capital crimes and sentenced to death.
The Foreign Minister appealed for the executions to be delayed on Monday until two legal processes regarding the men's cases, currently under way, are completed.
"The lawyers for Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran have been granted a hearing before the constitutional court. There is also a judicial commission review under way into the original trial," she said.
"There have been some allegations made in relation to the trial and I said [in a conversation with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Sunday] that Australia, indeed the international community, would expect those legal processes to be concluded before any other action was taken."
Fairfax Media reported on Monday the former lawyer of Chan and Sukumaran has outlined explosive allegations of corruption by the judges that sentenced the Bali nine duo to death, saying they asked for more than $130,000 to give them a prison term of less than 20 years.
Ms Bishop said those allegations were very serious.
"They call into question the integrity of the sentencing process and it's a matter for Indonesia's judicial commission to investigate these matters."
As the diplomatic row over the impending execution of the two men deepens, former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday postponed a visit to Perth for a University of Western Australia conference due to be held on Friday.
"Due to the sensitivity of the timing of his visit, Dr Yudhoyono has decided to postpone his trip, but still plans to deliver his keynote address via video technology," UWA vice-chancellor Professor Paul Johnson said.
Ms Bishop would not say whether Mr Abbott was attempting to call President Widodo to ask for clemency. But she did reveal the pair had spoken recently at the funeral of former Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew.
ANU Indonesia expert Greg Fealy told Fairfax Media there was no sign President Widodo would reconsider his position, though there were now signs out of Jakarta that the president had realised his decision to proceed with the execution had been based on flawed advice.
"The reality for him is that public opinion is in favour of these executions proceeding ... he simply can't change his mind," he said.
Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said it was "absolutely completely unacceptable for this sentence to be carried out while those legal matters are still pending".
Mr Abbott is in France and expected to discuss the pending executions with French President Francois Hollande on Monday.
Mr Hollande has publicly warned Indonesia of grave consequences for Indonesia's relationship with France and the EU if French citizen Serge Atlaoui, who is one of the 10 people on death row and who has earned a temporary reprieve pending a legal appeal, is executed.
Dave McRae, an Indonesia expert at Melbourne University's Asia Institute, said Australia should take firm action to make it clear to Indonesia "there will be consequences" if the executions go ahead.
"I think it has to be more than simply expressing condemnation. I think you're looking at a firmer response that might include suspending certain areas of co-operation for a period," he said.
He said it was important for all countries to "act together to show there are costs".
For instance, Indonesia should be made to feel that its stubbornness could put its citizens at risk because other countries that have the death penalty would spurn Jakarta's pleas for clemency for its own nationals in future.
"The things that have allowed abolitionists to gain even temporarily the upper hand in Indonesia have all been things that create pragmatic reasons to abolish [the death penalty], of which the imperative to protect Indonesia's citizens abroad … was the most prominent example."
