Single ISIS bride banned from returning to Australia as Anthony Albanese makes passport concession

One of the so-called “ISIS brides” attempting a return to Australia has been slapped with a temporary exclusion order by the Albanese Government, as the other stranded women and children continue efforts to leave a Syrian detention camp.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has also denied prior knowledge of the latest efforts to repatriate the terrorist-linked families, after The Nightly this week revealed the campaign was being led by his friend, respected Sydney doctor Jamal Rifi.

“I can confirm that one individual in this cohort has been issued a temporary exclusion order, which was made on advice from security agencies,” Mr Burke said in a statement released on Wednesday.

“At this stage security agencies have not provided advice that other members of the cohort meet the required legal thresholds for temporary exclusion orders,” the Minister added.

A temporary exclusion order stops Australian citizens from returning to the country from overseas for up to two years if they are deemed a security risk.

The Albanese Government’s move came as the 11 ISIS-linked women and 23 children in the Roj Camp, in Syria’s northeast, scrambled to get permission from local authorities to travel to Damascus so they could fly home to Australia.

In his statement the Home Affairs Minister insisted he was unaware of Dr Rifi’s role in coordinating the repatriation effort and had not discovered that his friend had travelled overseas, until it was revealed by the Nightly on Tuesday.

“I have no information other than what I’ve seen in the media about whether Dr Jamal Rifi is in Australia or overseas. He has not discussed any plans with me, nor would he have any reason to,” the Minister said.

In 2024 the highly respected Muslim community leader spearheaded a “Friends of Burke” organisation in support of the Home Affairs Minister, ahead of the Federal election where the Labor MP was facing a challenge from an independent candidate.

Earlier in the day Prime Minister Anthony Albanese again insisted the Government was not helping the ISIS-linked women and children return to Australia but appeared to confirm that passports had been issued to members of the group.

“Implementation of Australian law is what is happening. We are providing no assistance to these people, and won’t provide any assistance to these people, but we won’t breach Australian law,” Mr Albanese said when asked if they had been issued with travel documents.

Mr Albanese again warned members of the cohort could face charges on their return.

“We will implement the law to its fullest capacity that we can,” he told reporters in northern Tasmania.

“We want to make sure that Australians are kept safe. (As) I’ve said yesterday, ‘You make your bed, you lie in it’.

“These are people who chose to go overseas to align themselves with an ideology which is the caliphate, which is a brutal, reactionary ideology and that seeks to undermine and destroy our way of life.”

Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash has called for more exclusion orders to be used.

“Mr Burke should immediately issue temporary exclusion orders for each of the 34 individuals over the age of 14 currently attempting to leave Roj camp,” she wrote in The Nightly.

“Contrary to some misconceptions, temporary exclusion orders do not permanently exile Australian citizens. They enable managed, controlled returns with conditions designed to protect the community. (They give) authorities time to properly assess each case and prepare appropriate monitoring frameworks.

“This is not about denying citizenship rights. It is about exercising responsible management of those rights to protect other Australians — particularly victims of ISIS atrocities who now live in our communities.”

During a fiery debate on the Sunrise program, Housing Minister Clare O’Neill forcefully rejected claims the Government was “compromised” over the potential return of the families, dismissing suggestions of political interference as “outrageous and offensive”.

Her comments followed concerns raised on the show by Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie who highlighted the personal links between Dr Rifi and the Home Affairs Minister.

“The Labor Party does seem to be incredibly compromised with this cohort,” Senator McKenzie said.

“I can’t imagine any greater conflict for the Home Affairs Minister to have a man who has literally launched the Friends of Tony Burke in a Federal election campaign, simultaneously driving the repatriation of ISIS brides”.

Ms O’Neill hit back at the accusation, saying it was “offensive and wrong to suggest that a person charged with protecting the national security of our country is doing something for political reasons without a shred of evidence”.

“I think you should stop saying that and the Opposition should stop saying that. Everything that you’re talking about here is politics, politics, politics. Our government is concerned only with the safety of Australians,” she insisted.

Last year, two women and four children returned to Australia after smuggling themselves out of a camp in Syria, sparking furore from the Coalition.

In 2022, the Albanese Government also repatriated four women and 13 children.

Three years earlier, the Coalition also helped eight Australian children return from Syria while in government.