By Tess Ikonomou in Canberra

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has worked with Julian Assange’s legal team to strategise how to free the WikiLeaks founder.

Assange faces his final appeal in the UK against extradition to the US, but was described as too unwell to attend the start of the two-day hearing in London.

He published a huge trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.

Mr Albanese said he had raised Assange’s case at the highest levels with the US and UK, and had privately made his views known that the pursuit of him had been enough.

“It’s time Julian Assange was brought home,” he told ABC Radio Sydney.

“I’ve engaged with his legal team on a regular basis as well, on a strategy to try to get through this and come out the other side in Mr Assange’s interests.”

Mr Albanese said his government was using diplomatic channels to try to secure Assange’s release, and had raised the issue with US President Joe Biden.

“If you look at our record… we have since I’ve been prime minister been very successful at making representations on behalf of Australians,” he said.

Assange’s legal team claim he faces the risk of a denial of justice if tried in the US.

During a visit to Australia as part of high level talks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Assange was accused of “very serious criminal conduct”.

The Albanese government has been advocating for the US pursuit of Assange to end.