David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Was the minister or his office aware of intelligence advice that at least one of the ISIS sympathisers posed a security threat to Australians when he met with Dr Jamal Rifi and Save the Children in June 2025?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, for the first thing, nobody ever should talk about intelligence advice that you receive from the agencies in the privacy of the House of Representatives. And, if you wanted an example of a group of people who are not ready for national security, it's when they start asking in question time about advice from intelligence agencies—when they start talking about that. Let me—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hang on. Leader of the Nationals, you've asked your question. This kind of yelling non-stop is not going to continue. I'm prepared to remove you if you don't show the minister respect or the House respect as well.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With respect to that advice that he refers to, he refers to one member of that cohort. Let me say this with respect to the one member I presume he is referring to: there is one member of this cohort where ASIO have advised that they meet the threshold for a temporary exclusion order to be put in place. ASIO are the correct experts to be able to make that assessment, and this government will not take risks with national security. So, when ASIO make that assessment and it is presented to me, the decision immediately is to make a temporary exclusion order, which is exactly what we have done.

I would remind the Leader of the National Party of the words of a former leader of the National Party, who said this:

All the shock jocks and so many people who call themselves patriots will say they shouldn't be allowed back into Australia, but they're Australian citizens, so you can't leave them stateless. They are entitled to come back here.

They're not my words but the words of the member for Riverina. We have a situation where there are people who have been part of an appalling decision to act in support of one of the worst organisations the world has known.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will pause for a moment. The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes to direct relevance. The question was very specific: were you aware of that security threat when you met with Dr Jamal Rifi in June 2025?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister was asked a narrow question, but he is providing information regarding the actual individual he was asked about. You're asking a question, and he's giving information to the House about the ISIS sympathiser that he was asked about specifically. I am making sure his answer remains relevant to that point of the question. He's giving some context around a quote from another member of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of this cohort, the government would prefer none of them to return. But if any of them meet the legal threshold for a temporary exclusion order, and our intelligence agencies give that advice, then the order will be put in place—as has happened.