Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's aim of using a potential seat on the United Nation's Human Rights Council in 2018 to wage a global campaign against the death penalty is laudable. The death penalty is a breach of the most fundamental human right. 
Ms Bishop has told the UN General Assembly it would be Australia's intention to be "unrelenting in our efforts to secure the abolition of the death penalty".
Yet Australia need not wait until a seat on the Human Rights Council is won. An opportunity exists now for the government to demonstrate its commitment in real, practical terms.
Australia could follow Britain's example and develop a strategy on the abolition of the death penalty.
A strategy would assist Australia to define and align its goals regarding promoting the abolition of the death penalty with Australian values. It would help keep the government focused on its goals and provide a clear role for all Australian embassies and high commissions to promote the abolition. Perhaps, most importantly, it could provide transparency through reporting requirements.
By demonstrating firm and principled commitment against the death penalty, Australia would be in a strong position to initiate a regional coalition against capital punishment in partnership with Asia-Pacific states.
It would be wrong to think of the death penalty as a south-east Asian "problem". Although China leads the world in executions at 1000 in 2014, it must be remembered the United States also practises the death penalty in 31 states and in the last three years has executed 96 prisoners, including 22 this year.
The trend in south-east Asia is following a broader global trend towards abolition.
Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste have removed capital punishment from their national law. Sri Lanka, the Lao People's Republic, and Myanmar are abolitionist in practice. Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam have either reduced the number of offences liable to mandatory use of the death penalty or have reduced the number of offences liable to capital punishment.
Thailand has not had an execution since 2009. Fiji became the 99th country to become free of the death penalty in   February this year.
Australia can help promote this further but we also have to be realistic about the practice globally and be seen to be as forthright about abolition elsewhere as we are in Asia.