WHISTLEBLOWING website founder Julian Assange has broken cover to accuse the Australian government of abandoning him to attacks by the US government.

From a location in England the Queensland-born Mr Assange questioned what it meant to be an Australian citizen. As the WikiLeaks chief waited for his likely arrest so British authorities could extradite him to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual molestation - which he denies - he said he missed his country ''a great deal''.

Founder of the Wikileaks website, Julian Assange. Credit:AFP

''However, during the last weeks the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, have made it clear that not only is my return impossible but that they are actively working to assist the United States government in its attacks on myself and our people,'' Mr Assange wrote in The Guardian.

''This brings into question what does it mean to be an Australian citizen - does that mean anything at all? Or are we all to be treated like David Hicks at the first possible opportunity merely so that Australian politicians and diplomats can be invited to the best US embassy cocktail parties.''