Australia is drifting ever closer to the chaos that now exists in the UK, much of Europe and the USA as more and more of what many consider to be “undesirable people” are being allowed back into our country.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has made a shocking admission about suspected male ISIS terrorists who may return to Australia amid ongoing controversy over the earlier return of female ISIS supporters.
He has claimed it would be difficult to ban suspected ISIS fighters from Australia, saying the legal threshold was “really tough” to meet.
It comes as 13 Australian men held in Iraqi prisons, suspected of fighting for the ISIS terrorist group, have had their cases reviewed and may be released.
Asked earlier whether he would use temporary exclusion orders to ban the men from returning to Australia, Burke said the legal requirements would make it challenging.
“It’s a really tough threshold to meet legally,” he said.
Burke cleverly overlooked the fact that the Australian government does not have to issue passports to all citizens, including those living overseas, who are deemed ‘undesirable’ due to their potential threat to our country’s security.
Under the Australian Passports Act 2005, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong has the legal authority to refuse to issue or to cancel an Australian travel document.
Despite this, Tony Burke allowed one of his Muslim supporters to provide passports to the so-called ISIS “brides” who have already returned to Australia.
Several of these women have been charged with crimes against humanity and terror-related offences.
One of them is Rayann El Houli who appeared in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court where AFP translated transcripts of clips that exposed her asking her children:
“Do you love the mujahideen?” (referring to people engaged in Jihad).
“Did you see how the mujahideen killed the kaffir (infidel) with the knife?”.
“How did they slaughter the apostate – show me how!”.
One child was 2 years old at the time!
Another so-called “bride” Janai Safar recently failed in her second attempt to get bail due to the fact that she chose to attend a 3-week ISIS training course where she presumably learnt how to kill infidels (non-Muslims) in the most effective ways.
She allegedly sent her mother in Australia photos of herself holding a rifle.
There still remains one ISIS bride in Syria who was previously subjected to a temporary exclusion order, which has since been revoked by Tony Burke for unknown reasons.
He said the government was “aware of her location” but did not confirm if she intended to return to Australia.
Shadow Home Affairs & Immigration Minister Jonathon Duniam believes the Albanese government should not allow the 13 suspected ISIS-linked men to return, arguing those who chose to fight for the terror group pose an unacceptable risk.
“We know that these men are not friends of Australia … (they) chose to participate in the actions of ISIS,” Duniam told Sky News host James Macpherson.
“We should not be even contemplating having these people return to the country.”
Since the Albanese government came to power in 2022, at least 16 female ISIS supporters have returned to Australia having spent years in territory controlled by ISIS.
There has been continuing controversy over the government’s handling of the ISIS supporters and children previously held in camps in northern Syria.
In September 2025, Prime Minister Albanese rejected claims his government was facilitating the return of ISIS brides, insisting there was “no assistance”.
Albanese denied that he misled parliament at the time, after he declared that reports of imminent returns were “wrong”.
However, NSW Police later confirmed that they had been briefed in preparation for the return of these people.
Clearly yet another lie from Albanese!
Questions intensified in February 2026 after reports emerged that ISIS brides had been issued Australian passports.
Further controversy followed in March 2026 when the government refused a Freedom of Information request by Sky News seeking details about the issuing of passports.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade acknowledged relevant documents existed but denied access, arguing disclosure was “not in the public interest”.
Questions about another Sydney woman, Hodan Abby, potential return to Australia came amid reports she acted as a “Sharia judge” and enforcer at the Kurdish-run detention camp al-Roj in north-east Syria.
Abby was alleged to have taken direct orders from ISIS commanders and relayed them within the camp.
She is also accused of abusing a Yazidi girl who was enslaved and raped in her home when she was 9 and 10 years of age.
When asked whether the government was aware of the allegations against Abby, Tony Burke did not give a direct answer but said there was a reason she had been subject to a temporary exclusion order.
In June, Abby was granted the right to return to Australia after the government said it had no power to challenge the decision to issue her a return permit.
At the time, Burke said the woman would be subject to a number of conditions including reporting to police, disclosing her address and where she works or studies, and providing 24 hours’ notice before using any telecommunications device.
He didn’t explain how these conditions could be effectively enforced given that it seems highly unlikely that they could be. But even if they are capable of being enforced, what would be the cost to taxpayers?
Shadow Coalition Minister Jonathon Duniam is concerned that the Albanese government is saying one thing but doing another in order to satisfy Muslim voters in Labor-held electorates rather than ensuring safety within the Australian community.
“Labor says it will not be lifting a finger to help these people. But that’s exactly what they said about the ISIS “brides” and their children too — and we all saw how that ended.”
“Tony Burke’s verbal denials are nowhere near enough. Australians deserve to know urgently and clearly whether the Albanese government has an actual plan, and exactly what it will do, if and when Australian ISIS-linked male detainees are released from Iraqi prisons.”
We should all be seeking this information as a matter of urgency.
Thanks to Sky News, Crystal-Rose Jones writing for The Epoch Times, Getty Images, and Johannes Leak for his cartoon.
