Sydney (CNN) -- For a few hours before Ecuador's announcement that it would grant the WikiLeaks founder political asylum, and for 12 hours after the announcement, #Assange trended on Twitter across Julian Assange's homeland, Australia. It was as though the void left by the London Olympics was filled by the oddly mesmerizing spectacle of a widely anticipated decision, well ahead of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministers' blistering critique of Great Britain, the United States and Sweden and the parlous situation in which the white-haired Assange finds himself. As Assange's supporters rallied in London outside the Ecuadorian Embassy where he has been holed up for 58 days, in Australia the political elite seemed to be scurrying to the safety of black letter law.
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Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard yet to comment on WikiLeaks asylum decision
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In its decision, Ecuador cited a lack of support for Assange from his home country
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Spokesman for Australian foreign minister says Assange has received consular assistance
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On Twitter, many Australians are siding with Assange and calls for Australia to do more to help him
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In the political typhoon of the 24-hour news cycle she will no doubt be asked for her reaction to Ecuador's clear belief that it is offering @placeholder support denied him by his own government.
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His spokesperson told CNN that having watched events unfold through the night, the Assange drama has "elements of fascination, in particular the strong statements on the @placeholder."
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@placeholder, he said, contemplated responding to the statements made by Ecuador.
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Read more: Standoff at embassy after Ecuador grants @placeholder asylum
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"He has received 62 instances of consular contact in the last 18 months -- more than any other @placeholder in comparable circumstances," the spokesman said.
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And that is, firmly behind Britain's attempt to extradite Assange to Sweden to face questioning over alleged sexual assault and rape and alongside its friend in good and bad times, the United States, of which few questions have apparently been asked about its purported intention to prosecute Assange over the @placeholder release of confidential American diplomatic cables.
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"What the Ecuadorian government has done here, in effect, is offer @placeholder the protection the Australian Government has failed to do."
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But @placeholder has one perilous PR obstacle to overcome in the days ahead.
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Assange's decision to make a public statement at the doors of his London digs on Sunday, according to the @placeholder official Twitter feed, might trigger the disdain that historically comes with rising above the parapet in such a small nation.