Foreign Minister Bob Carr's office says consular officials have spoken with Ecuadorian embassy staff on eight occasions, who have then relayed messages to the WikiLeaks founder.The Australian Government has confirmed it has had contact with Julian Assange while he has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
A spokesman for Senator Carr says Mr Assange was offered consular assistance, but he thanked them and declined the offer.
Mr Assange remains at the Ecuadorian embassy as a diplomatic stand-off continues between Ecuador and the UK.
Ecuador has granted him political asylum, but Britain is determined to extradite him to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.
Mr Assange fears he will be sent from Sweden to the US, and Fairfax Media has obtained declassified diplomatic cables which it says suggest the US is intent on doing just that.
Fairfax says the documents - obtained under freedom of information laws - also show Australia's ambassador to the US, Kim Beazley, asked the US government for advance warning of any move to extradite Mr Assange.
Fairfax says the documents also reveal Australia has no objection to a potential extradition to the US.
The Gillard Government has confirmed its Washington embassy is preparing for the possibility of Mr Assange's extradition.
Trade Minister Craig Emerson says there is nothing unusual about this.
"What has happened there is that embassy is doing its job and that is getting prepared for the possibility of an extradition," he said.
"But having no evidence or certainly I have seen no evidence that the United States is actually preparing to do that."
'No evidence'
'No evidence'
But Senator Carr reiterated earlier comments that Australia has no evidence to suggest the US is planning such a move.
He did however confirm that Australia is monitoring a US espionage investigation into American soldier Bradley Manning, who allegedly leaked classified information to the WikiLeaks site.
A spokesman for Senator Carr says WikiLeaks could potentially be linked to that investigation but it does not mean the US is intent on seizing Mr Assange.
Mr Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since June.
British police are stationed outside the embassy, ready to arrest Mr Assange if he leaves the building.
Jennifer Robinson, an Australian lawyer advising Mr Assange, hopes a solution can be negotiated.
"We are now most concerned about the Ecuadorian government negotiating safe passage for Julian so that he's able to go to Ecuador and seek the benefit of the protection that he's just been granted," she told AM.
"It's just a matter of waiting to see how the negotiations on safe passage takes, goes forward."
Ms Robinson says Mr Assange is coping well given the circumstances.
"He has limited access to visitors but does have access to the internet, and has so far managed to continue WikiLeaks operations," she said.
"He's doing the best he can in very, very difficult circumstances."
British foreign secretary William Hague has said his government is obliged under its own laws to enforce the extradition.
But he has also admitted that the stalemate could continue for months or even years.
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says there is little the Australian government can do for Mr Assange.
Mr Assange has repeatedly criticised the Government's handling of his case, but Ms Roxon says while she is taking "an absolute interest" in his plight, there are limits to what she can legally do.
His mother, Christine, said on Thursday she was furious that British police may be sent in to seize her son, claiming they would be acting on behalf of Washington.
WikiLeaks said on Twitter that Mr Assange would give a statement in front of the embassy on Sunday, though it did not specify whether this would involve leaving the building and, if so, how he would do so without being arrested.
Under normal diplomatic procedures, embassies are considered the territory of the countries they represent and cannot be entered without permission.
Britain has angered Ecuador by suggesting it could invoke a domestic law allowing it to breach the usual rules and go in to arrest Mr Assange.
This would challenge a fundamental principle of the diplomatic system, and the threat has left Britain in unchartered legal waters.
Sweden has condemned Ecuador's granting of asylum, rejecting the argument that Mr Assange would be sent from Sweden to the United States where he could face the death penalty.
Meanwhile a group of 12 Latin American countries is set to discuss the diplomatic rift between Britain, Sweden and Ecuador following the UK's threat to storm Ecuador's embassy in London.
The Union of South American Nations has convened a special meeting tomorrow in Ecuador to consider the diplomatic brawl over Mr Assange.
Ecuador has expressed outrage at the UK's threat to storm its embassy and is seeking the support of the regional grouping.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
