Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

At a time when the country is still coming to terms with the murder of 15 innocents by terrorists inspired by ISIS, the news that the Albanese government has taken steps to assist the return of ISIS sympathisers into the country is frightening and it is infuriating. The Prime Minister and his Minister for Home Affairs say they have no choice; they cannot legally prevent Australian citizens from entering the country. But I cannot support that position. My electorate have overwhelmingly made clear to me that they do not support the government's position. They vehemently refute it and indeed consider that the Albanese government's surrender to these ISIS sympathisers constitutes a complete and utter betrayal.

These women, these ISIS brides, are not unwilling participants. They are not helpless actors coerced or forced into the situation. They were already radicalised when they travelled to Syria and Iraq during the height of Islamic State's territorial expansion to marry and raise the children of fighters for the caliphate. They made a very conscious decision to do so. They also, sadly and cruelly, made a choice for their children—many unborn at the time.

These women and children have been exposed to the very worst of Islamic extremism. They've been active participants and proponents of a doctrine that condones public beheadings, dismemberment and crucifixion, the stoning of women, the forced marriage of girls, the brutal murder of anyone that rejects their cruel and oppressive beliefs, the kidnapping and brainwashing of children to be child soldiers, the rape and sexual slavery of women and girls as weapons of war, torture—including burning and burying captives alive—and the organisation and orchestration of global terror against the West, including Australia. These people, these ideas, cannot be given residence in Australia.

Australia already has a grave Islamic extremism problem. If we didn't already know this, the Bondi terrorist attacks sure brought that reality home. We have, in this country, pockets where Islamic fundamentalism and extremism is staunchly propagated which the return of these ISIS sympathisers will only serve to embolden and escalate. Over this last week we've seen indisputable evidence that Islamic extremism has an outward presence in Australia, with Sydney and Melbourne mosques holding public memorials and prayer sessions to mourn the death of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an evil tyrant whose deeds and decrees were completely antithetical to Australian values.

These women and children are not going to come to Australia, make their home in a benign part of the country, deradicalise and miraculously reject their deeply ingrained illiberal ideology in favour of Australia's democratic values. They will settle in Australia's enclaves of Islamic extremism, be lauded as heroes and proclaimers of the caliphate, help radicalise an entire new generation and, no doubt, do all of this on the taxpayers' dime.

This cannot be accepted. We are this country's legislators. We have the power. We, if nothing else, are responsible for ensuring these evil people do not return to Australia. Australians expect this from us. I urge the Albanese government to defend and protect our country and support our legislation. Fight against the return of these ISIS sympathisers, rescind their citizenship, issue temporary exclusion orders and end the policy of self-managed returns of ISIS linked cohorts. Be transparent with Australians and put our national interest, safety and security first.

Australia is the greatest country in the world, but that greatness is dependent upon its people and the values we hold. The Albanese government, in enabling these ISIS sympathisers to return to Australia, threatens the very future of this country and its traditional standing as a beacon of hope, freedom and democracy and, instead, tilts it closer on a trajectory towards what we see on the streets of London and the rest of the UK. Australians are genuinely frightened about the future of this country—a country they love fiercely and loyally. If the Prime Minister shares even an ounce of that devotion for Australia's culture and people, he will not just talk but do—do everything in his power to ensure these ISIS sympathisers and their families are prevented from ever making their way into our home.

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