Nat Barr tears into Anthony Albanese’s government and demands answers about ISIS brides returning

Natalie Barr has taken aim at the Albanese Government amid explosive reports that several women who left Australia to join ISIS have quietly returned to the country.
The women allegedly escaped Syria’s Al-Hawl camp and travelled to Beirut, where they were detained for visa breaches before being given Australian passports after DNA and security checks – including for children born in Syria.
A report from The Australian claimed ‘senior federal government officials are assisting the operation quietly in the background.’
The government insists it did not provide any repatriation assistance,  a claim Housing Minister Clare O’Neil was forced to defend during a fiery exchange on Sunrise.
‘So Clare, you’re confirming that several of these ISIS brides have come back into the country, but they’re Australian citizens, so the Australian government hasn’t helped them, is that right?’ Barr asked.
‘I’m not confirming anything that isn’t already on the public record,’ O’Neil replied.
Barr refused to back down. ‘Is it true several ISIS brides have come back into the country but they’re Australian citizens but the Albanese Government hasn’t helped them?’
‘Nat, I’m not going to add any detail to what the Home Affairs Minister and Foreign Minister talked about,’ O’Neil said.
Barr pressed again: ‘Why would that be, what’s the problem? So you have not assisted them but they have come back. Why can’t we say they have come back?’

Natalei Barr (centre) took aim at the Albanese Government over reports about ISIS Brides
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Natalei Barr (centre) took aim at the Albanese Government over reports about ISIS Brides

Six ISIS brides and their children have reportedly returned to Australia from Syria (file)
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Six ISIS brides and their children have reportedly returned to Australia from Syria (file)
Her line of questioning prompted opposition spokesperson Michaelia Cash to step in.
‘What is the issue, Clare, with saying the ISIS brides have returned? The children were not born in Australia. They were born overseas. They didn’t have any documents – they didn’t have a passport or birth certificate.
‘The Australian government had to facilitate the giving of those documents to the children in order for them to come into Australia.’
Barr contined to demand an answer: ‘Clare, if there were children involved and they were born overseas, maybe they didn’t have paperwork – are you sure the government didn’t need to assist them?’
‘The government hasn’t provided any repatriation or assistance to these people,’ O’Neil said.
Barr pressed again: ‘So how did they get back here?’
‘I will let the Foreign Minister tell you,’ O’Neil replied.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed that stance in Parliament on September 3, saying reports of government involvement were ‘not accurate.’
He said Australian citizens have ‘a right to enter Australia’ and that ‘Australia did not provide assistance’ to a group of two women and four children who re-entered via Lebanon.
However, the Opposition argues that passport processing and security checks indicate otherwise.
During Senate Estimates, Penny Wong was pressed on when the government learned of the families’ arrival and how many ISIS brides are now in Australia.
Appearing with departmental staff, she declined to answer and took the questions on notice.

Penny Wong was grilled on Tuesday over whether the government offered the ISIS brides help
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Penny Wong was grilled on Tuesday over whether the government offered the ISIS brides help

‘I think I should let on those sorts of response that I would let the Prime Minister speak for himself on,’ Wong said.
Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the women had a right to return.
‘A lot of those people would be Australian citizens, so they have a right to return to Australia,’ he told the ABC.
‘Our government hasn’t provided assistance or anything like that, aside from the normal assistance any Australian gets returning to their homelands.’
In a seperate statement, the Albanese government said: ‘If any of those people find their own way to return, our security agencies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to act in the interests of community safety.
‘Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time. We have confidence in our agencies.’

 

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