Thirty-four women and children have been issued Australian passports and are trying to return from Syria (pictured, Al-Roj camp in Northern Syria). Photo: Save the Children Australia.
The Federal Government has dismissed as headline-grabbing an Opposition proposal to make it a crime to assist any Australians with links to Islamic State to return from Syria.
Currently, 34 wives and children of former fighters are trying to get back to Australia, sparking a political outcry over what help the Federal Government may or may not be giving them.
Anthony Albanese insists the government is not helping repatriate them at all and will provide no assistance whatsoever.
But Australian passports have been issued to them, with the Prime Minister saying the government is acting in accordance with the Constitution and legal advice.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has imposed a temporary block on one member of the group, but says none of the others qualified for such a ban and that all of the 34 were legally entitled to passports.
Family members and friends are believed to have taken the passports to Syria for the women and children.
The Coalition wants such actions criminalised, saying anyone who helps Australians with links to Islamic State return home should be punished.
Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam said an exemption should only apply if the government gave “express permission” for a repatriation.
“This legislation sends a very clear message – anyone who travels to a designated terrorist hotspot, such as Syria, to support a death cult like ISIS does not deserve to come back to Australia,” Senator Duniam said.
Shadow foreign minister Ted O’Brien said self-managed returns of people like the 34 in question was a loophole in the law that needed to be closed.
“Under that arrangement, it permits non-government third parties to organise terrorists and their affiliates to enter Australia, and they can do that on their own without government oversight,” Mr O’Brien said.
“So this proposed law closes that loophole, brings back responsibility to lie with the government and doesn’t allow the government to effectively outsource the repatriation of terror sympathisers back to Australia.”
Health Minister Mark Butler dismissed the idea as a “grab for a headline” when asked about it on morning radio.
He said the Opposition had presented no details and didn’t address “what appears to be some plans to try and criminalise the work of aid organisations like Save the Children”.
Mr Albanese went further on Monday morning (23 February), telling the media that the Coalition didn’t have any serious plans.
“If they did, they wouldn’t have allowed more than 40 people to come, including fighters, on their watch when they were in government,” the Prime Minister said.
“They pretend that the Constitution doesn’t exist,”
“They know there are some limits on what can be done, but I repeat – our position is we are not repatriating people and we are not providing assistance.”
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the government was operating under laws devised by the former Coalition government of Scott Morrison.
She added that Australians needed to have confidence in the nation’s intelligence and security agencies.
“Our agencies are the best in the world. They have been monitoring this cohort for years, and secondly, any proposed laws would obviously need to be done in consultation with our agencies and take their advice,” she said.
Save the Children has issued a statement raising concerns over the Coalition’s plan, saying any proposal to criminalise assistance to children would be “extraordinary”.
Chief executive officer Mat Tinkler said Save the Children has already made it clear it is not facilitating the re-entry of Australian citizens from northeastern Syria.
“We have not, and will not, conduct extraction or repatriation operations,” he said.
“As a humanitarian organisation, we abide by principles of neutrality, impartiality, independence and humanity and operate in compliance with Australian and international law.
“In the case of innocent children stranded in camps in northeastern Syria, our role has been twofold: providing them with lifesaving humanitarian relief and advocating for national governments to repatriate their citizens.
“While we have yet to see the details of this proposal, any attempt to criminalise advocacy for Australian children stranded overseas would be extraordinary.
“Instead of investing effort in ways to stop help for innocent Australian children, politicians should be focused on finding ways to protect them.
“Save the Children is a charity dedicated to keeping children safe and giving them the best start in life. We believe all children are innocent and should not be held responsible for their parents’ actions.
“No Australian child should be left stranded in dangerous desert camps for seven long years, and both sides of government have previously recognised this by repatriating groups of Australian children and women in the past.
“We call on political parties to dial down the political rhetoric. It is time to show leadership and compassion for Australian children. The race to the bottom at the expense of vulnerable children’s lives must end.”
