Kim Beazley took over from Mark Latham as federal opposition leader in 2005; the same year nine young Australians tried to smuggle 8.7kg of heroin into Australia.

John Howard was prime minister, the Swans defeated the West Coast Eagles to nab their first premiership in 72 years, and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Graham Kennedy and Kerry Packer were all laid to rest.

It was a long time ago.

The Bali Nine’s Australian ringleaders – Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran – were 21 and 24. Renae Lawrence was 27. Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, who has since died, was 22.

And the others, who are now on Australian soil and awaiting freedom, were aged between 18 and 28.

What mistake did we make at 18? And how many of us have paid a 20-year price for that? Mostly, all of us have made stupid, reckless decisions and faced the consequences – but been allowed to move on.

This isn’t to excuse the Bali Nine’s criminal behaviour. Imagine how many deaths that 8.7kg of heroin could have caused. Perhaps it might have ended the life of one of our own children, who were making their own mistake.

But 20 years, in........

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