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October 9, 2025
The Department of Home Affairs opted against seeking temporary exclusion orders that would have prevented two "ISIS brides" from re-entering Australia last week.
Appearing before a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster confirmed that the department had learned in June of the intentions of the two women and four children to travel from a camp in Syria to Australia. The six individuals arrived in Australia late last month.
Under questioning from the Coalition's acting home affairs spokesman James Paterson, Ms Foster and Home Affairs' head of national security Hamish Hansford confirmed that they had not sought a temporary exclusion order which would have prohibited the recipient from entering Australia for two years for any of the cohort.
"The advice from operational agencies is that a temporary exclusion order was not required, and our judgment about the legal threshold for which the temporary exclusion order would apply was not met," Mr Hansford said.
"I think it's important to outline that temporary exclusion orders are about the managed return of individuals and associated conditions. We can say that these individuals, we were aware since early June about the individuals, we are aware that the risk is being managed and that there were appropriate arrangements on arrival."
The department confirmed that it had been involved in meetings with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Save The Children, at which the NGO pushed for the government to help repatriate a group of ISIS brides to Australia.
Senator Murray Watt said the meeting had ended with Mr Burke declining to offer any assistance.
Ms Foster told the hearing she was unable to provide details about where the six people were now residing, although another Home Affairs representative confirmed that they had spoken to law enforcement officials in NSW about the group.
Ms Foster and Senator Watt said the government had not provided any additional support to aid in the repatriation of the group, beyond the legally required steps to process passport and citizenship applications.
"Any Australian citizen or someone eligible for Australian citizenship, should they apply for that citizenship, we have an obligation as public servants under the eligible legislation to process any valid application and to provide those documents," Ms Foster said.
Senator Watt noted that dozens of former ISIS fighters had returned to Australia under the Coalition government, and said the Australian public should be confident the group of recent returnees was being watched closely. "I can assure people that our security agencies are aware of the persons of interest who are in this cohort," he said.
"Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time, and, of course, our government has confidence in the work of those agencies to keep Australians safe."
Mr Paterson told The Australian that the government should have been more forthcoming with details about how members of "one of the most depraved terrorist organisations" had returned to Australia.
"As it stands we know the Albanese government assisted the return of this cohort with citizenship by descent applications and passports," he said.
"But (it) has not explained why they didn't use temporary exclusion orders, whether anyone has been charged, whether they will apply for control orders or how these people are being monitored.
"We don't even know which state or territory they are living in. Australians deserve much more transparency from the Albanese government about this serious matter of public safety."