Five freed Bali Nine members fly to their new homes in Australia as Anthony Albanese delivers stern message to future travellers

As the saga of the Bali Nine drug smugglers ended in hugs and tears at Melbourne Airport, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had some choice words for future Aussie travellers.

The two-decade-long saga of the Bali Nine drug smugglers has come to an end, with the surviving five members reunited with their families and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese imploring Australians to learn from their story and not “be stupid” when travelling overseas.

Overnight flights from Darwin – where the men had spent four nights at the Howard Springs Accommodation Village – took the men to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, where they will attempt to build new lives, although in the case of Scott Rush another legal issue will need to be dealt with first.

Bali Nine member Michael Czugaj arrives in Brisbane on Friday morning. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Rush is expected to hand himself in to a Brisbane police station in coming days over a warrant relating to a theft from a Commonwealth Bank branch in 2005.

Queensland Police confirmed they were already in contact with a 39 year old man’s legal representation but declined to provide further comment.

But confusion reigned over Rush’s exact whereabouts, with uncertain reports about when he was released.

The AFP referred questions over Rush’s release to DFAT. DFAT did not respond to questions before deadline.

Michael Czugaj did not speak to the media when he arrived in Brisbane. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Fellow Bali Nine member Michael Czugaj landed in Brisbane shortly after 5.30am on Friday, where he was greeted by a friend at the airport.

Like all members of the Bali Nine, Czugaj did not speak to the media.

Accommodation arrangements for the youngest member of the Bali Nine, Matthew Norman, raised eyebrows after it was revealed the 38 year old would be staying at a two-storey, multimillion dollar beachfront home on Victoria’s Surf Coast.

After Norman arrived in Melbourne shortly before 7am with fellow Bali Nine member Si Yi Chen, he was taken to the property owned by Ann and Alan Wilkins, members of the Torquay Christian Fellowship who had reached out to him during his stay in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison.

Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen arrive in Melbourne after spending over 20 years at the infamous Kerobokan Prison in Bali on Friday. Picture: NewsWire/Luis Enrique Ascui

It is thought Norman will eventually be joined by his Indonesian wife Anita and the couple’s 15 year old daughter Stella.

Mr Wilkins did not answer specific questions regarding Norman or his possible living arrangements when contacted by the Geelong Advertiser, but said it had been “an interesting journey”.

Chen departed with a small group of family members upon arrival at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport.

Martin Stephens, meanwhile, flew in to Sydney, where he was met by family or friends in a car.

Mr Albanese told a press conference in Canberra the members of the Bali Nine had “paid a serious price” for their “serious crime”, as had their families.

“It is time for them to come home and I am pleased that has occurred,” he said.

The Esplanade Torquay, where freed Bali Nine member Matthew Norman is reportedly set to live.

The saga of the Bali Nine was “a reminder of people out there travelling that Australians are subject to the laws of countries they are in,” Mr Albanese said.

“Don’t be stupid, essentially. Don’t take a risk like that. For some of these people, they spent more than half their lives in jail,” he said.

A noted Australian music fan, Mr Albanese mentioned the Paul Kelly ballad How To Make Gravy, which details a prison inmate’s anguish as he misses Christmas celebrations at home, and references the date December 21.

“Tomorrow I think is ‘gravy day’,” Mr Albanese said.

“Australians speak about what it is like to have someone who is a loved one, they sing the great Paul Kelly song in jail over Christmas … well, their families had their loved ones in jail for 20 Christmases, and that was enough,” he said.

Matthew Norman is seen arriving in Melbourne. Picture: The Australian /Luis Enrique Ascui

Mr Albanese reportedly lobbied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for months about the release of the Bali Nine, with the two discussing arrangements on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Peru in November.

Mr Albanese has hailed Mr Subianto’s decision as an “act of compassion” and insisted there was no “payback arrangement”.

“After 19 years in Indonesian prison, it was time for them to come home, and I had the opportunity to speak to a number of the parents, last night, of these people.

“They are grateful that their sons have been able to return home.”

Anthony Albanese reportedly lobbied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for months about the release of the Bali Nine. Picture: ABC

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has also acknowledged that “20 years is a long time” for the five men.

“At a personal level, and for their families, particularly coming into Christmas, you can understand the excitement and the relief that they’ll have,” he said.

Originally published as Five freed Bali Nine members fly to their new homes in Australia as Anthony Albanese delivers stern message to future travellers