A heated Sunrise clash has erupted over the return of so-called ISIS brides to Australia, with the Opposition accusing Labor of failing to do enough to keep the women out of the country.
Four women with links to Islamic State fighters returned to Australia from Syria on Thursday night alongside nine children, with three of the women later arrested by federal authorities.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: ISIS-linked women charged after returning from Syria
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Deputy Opposition leader Jane Hume slammed the government’s response to their requests to return home, claiming they had powers available under the Passports Act to prevent the women from re-entering Australia.
“The Passports Act does allow the minister to deny a passport to somebody that could potentially pose a threat to Australia; there are temporary exclusion orders that could have been used, but the minister chose not to,” Hume said.
“We’re astounded that these people have been allowed to come back onto our shores so easily.”
Hume said she had recently met with a Yazidi woman who had allegedly been enslaved by Islamic State-linked groups as a child.
“The trauma that this woman has gone through is unimaginable. And now, people that are just like her captors have been invited back here to establish their lives,” she said.
“If they don’t face not just the full force of the law, but an appropriate punishment for these heinous crimes, that’s on this government,” she said.
Health Minister Mark Butler rejected the criticism, insisting national security agencies had spent years preparing for the women’s arrival.
“Our security agencies have been preparing for this day for more than a decade,” Butler said.
“People should feel very confident that we’ve got well-established plans in place.”
The clash escalated with Butler accusing the Coalition government of letting 40 people back into the country during their time in office.
“Children, Mark, children,” Hume cut in.
“No, you bought fighters back as well, Jane… not just wives but fighters as well,” Butler hit back.
On Sunrise on Thursday, former NSW Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow estimated surveillance costs could reach around $2 million per person annually.
Butler declined to reveal how much taxpayer money would be spent monitoring the women and funding rehabilitation programs but acknowledged “significant taxpayer resources” would be required through state and federal policing and intelligence agencies.
“We have to resource our agencies to monitor risks to the community,” he said.
“Our agencies are not going to publish every single aspect of their operations to keep our community safe.”
“Your viewers can be confident that these plans are well established, they’ve been worked on for years, and they will be the best possible plans to keep our community safe,” he said.
The women are expected to face offences including crimes against humanity, enslavement and membership of a terrorist organisation, and will face court on Friday.
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