Although specific details have not been confirmed, it has been reported that the Australian Labor government is preparing to repatriate the wives and children of Islamic state fighters.
The plan to return an estimated 16 women and 42 children is not new and was dismissed by the previous Liberal government. But it has been reported that Labor is following a “secret mission” by the Australian Security Intelligence Agency
Labor Home Affairs minister Clare O’Niel reportedly stated
“The Australian government’s overriding priority is the protection of Australians and Australia’s national interest, informed by national security advice.”
However, in response to a request for an assurance that these people posed no threat to the Australian public Clare O’Neil responded
“Given the sensitive nature of the matters involved, it would not be appropriate to comment further.“
During Liberal’s term in government, they had refused to submit to the pressure to return these women to Australia warning that some would potentially pose a security threat to our nation.
Peter Dutton, home affairs minister at that time, was quoted as saying
“These are not innocent women who have taken their children into the theatre of war”
Liberal front bencher Karen Andrews has also been reported as saying Labor’s plan is “very concerning” and that when she was minister of home affairs “I wasn’t prepared to risk Australian officials going into Syria to do what they needed to do to get these people out,”
“I was concerned about radicalisation, not just of the women, but potentially of the children.
“And thirdly, I was concerned about the risk of these people coming back to Australia, because they may not have been deradicalised and could well have been radicalised.
“And I think it posed an unnecessary risk and enormous cost for these people to be closely supervised in the community.”
The wives themselves have been pleading to be allowed back into Australia for years since the fall of the Islamic State and some are now claiming to have been tricked or coerced into travelling to Syria, and have allegedly agreed to submit to control orders, which can be imposed on those who trained or participated in training with a listed terrorist organisation.
Karen Andrews however has stated “They made their own decisions to be in Syria and they were complicit generally in the role that they were expected to play, which was to support ISIS and to support the foreign fighters who were there,” and “I was incredibly conscious of the fact that these people largely had gone there voluntarily.”
Liberal frontbencher and previous minister for law enforcement and cybersecurity, Angus Taylor raised his concerns on 2GB radio and has been quoted as saying “The starting point with all of things is the protection of Australians must come first,” and “We can’t put Australians lives at risk.”
As south western Sydney is a likely location for the resettlement of those involved, Frank Carbone Mayor of Fairfield stated on his Facebook page on the 7’h October “Last night I was on Sky News opposing any proposed resettlement of ISIS sympathisers in Western Sydney by the Government.”
“If the government can afford to spend $3m per person to repatriate them, please spend the money on Fairfield Hospital instead.”
“There is a difference between welcoming refugees that want to be part of our country and welcoming those who want to fight it.”
