Australian 'ISIS Bride' Blocked from Entry Under National Security Order
One of the Australian women known as 'ISIS brides' has been denied entry to Australia under a temporary exclusion order, which can be enforced for up to two years, due to significant national security concerns. The government has not disclosed the woman's identity, age, or specific reasons for blocking her return, but confirmed she originally came to Australia and was granted citizenship during the Howard government era.
Security Assessments and Government Actions
Security agencies are conducting further assessments to determine if additional women should be prevented from entering the country. Currently, only one woman has been issued with an exclusion order. The government has previously stated that any returning women who have committed crimes will face 'the full force of the law' upon arrival.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed that the government has a legal obligation to provide passports to 11 women and 23 children currently held in the Roj camp in northeast Syria. This means 10 of the ISIS brides and 23 children will be allowed to return to Australia. The group has reportedly been in contact with family and supporters in Australia who were planning to facilitate their repatriation from Syria.
Encrypted Messages and Government Involvement
The Daily Telegraph reported seeing encrypted messaging between the women in the camp and an Australian government official, which discussed organising DNA testing ahead of passport issuance. The messages also revealed that the government sent a delegation to accompany the families from the camp to Australia. In response to the woman being blocked, one message stated: 'We still don't know the reason for the sudden change in position.'
A source told The Daily Telegraph that the messages show 'further evidence' the government has been actively assisting the group in their return to Australia. The source added: 'Issuing passports and undertaking DNA testing for these women and children shows the government has been quietly making these repatriation plans for months; all of the evidence has pointed to this.'
Political and Legal Perspectives
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged that Australia has certain 'obligations' but remained firm that the government will not provide 'assistance or repatriation'. He stated: 'My mother would have said if you make your bed, you lie in it. These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate.'
Under Australian law, the government is required to issue travel documents to citizens seeking to return, even if it does not actively organise their extraction. On Sunrise, shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam suggested that if current laws are insufficient to protect Australia, they should be strengthened, offering opposition support for such measures. He questioned: 'If one person has been hit with a temporary exclusion order for going to this part of the world and doing what they've done, why is it not the case that the others have not had the same order applied against them?'
Advocacy for Repatriation and Humanitarian Concerns
Mat Tinkler, head of Save the Children Australia, argued on Sunrise that the children and their mothers should be returned to face justice in Australia. He said: 'What we know is for the past seven years, national security experts have said the best way to treat any risk that these women pose is right here in Australia. We have robust national security systems, a robust judicial system. There's no prospect that these women will be charged with any offence in Syria.'
Tinkler described the camps as 'one of the worst places in the world to be a child', noting that some children have lived their entire lives there. He recounted meeting an eight-year-old girl in the camp who was smaller than his five-year-old, with black and rotten teeth from malnutrition. That girl is now living in Australia, 'happy, healthy and thriving'.
The office of the prime minister and Tony Burke did not respond to a request for further information on the temporary exclusion order.
