Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's refusal to answer my question to him yesterday. I again ask the Prime Minister: can he confirm that none of his ministers nor any member of staff made representations or requests to any relevant departments or agencies to support or expedite the issuing of Australian passports to ISIS sympathisers in Syria?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question and for his obsession with this issue. If only he was as obsessed when ISIS fighters were coming home on those opposite's watch! If only, when there were 40 people coming home, he was as obsessed! I again refer to people who have actually engaged with this issue in real time. Peter Dutton, the then minister for home affairs—

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

The member for Calwell will leave the chamber under 94(a). That's highly disorderly.

The member for Calwell then left the chamber.

The Manager of Opposition Business is entitled to raise his point of order, and he is not to be interrupted when he is on his feet.

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

It goes to 104(a), which is about direct relevance, not about a quote from someone in the past. This is about your ministers. It's not directly relevant. This is about your ministers and agencies and what they knew. It's not about the past.

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

The question was about the issuing of passports for ISIS sympathisers. The Prime Minister was asked a question regarding that. Under the standing orders—and we can keep saying this over and over again—I can't compel the Prime Minister to give a 'yes' or 'no' answer. I can compel him to be directly relevant. He is reading quotes regarding this topic—

Member for Fisher, to assist the House, when I'm dealing with a point of order, do not interject. I'll make sure he's being directly relevant. If he were talking about another topic, he wouldn't be being directly relevant, but I want to listen to what he has to say about this topic.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm going directly to the issuing of passports and why it happens in a normal way, no matter who the government is. Australian citizens have rights, and the Constitution has not changed. It hasn't changed from the time that former prime minister Morrison said that 'normal assessments' would have to be done, including formal identification and checking citizenship. Mr Morrison said:

Where those issues are able to be addressed, we would follow the normal processes for issuing of travel documents.

It goes as well to what people on your frontbench, appointed by you, have had to say.

Opposition members interjecting—

They have said:

Although many of these people are of counterterrorism interest, under article 12.4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it is their right, as Australian citizens, to return to Australia.

That's what they have had to say. On my watch, while I've been Prime Minister, this is what the member for Riverina has had to say:

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.

That's what the member for Riverina said just in October last year.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I'm not happy with this yelling that has enveloped the parliament this week. We're not going to have people just having a free-for-all. No-one would accept this as acceptable behaviour. I'm giving everyone a chance to reset. This constant yelling is not acceptable. No-one watching this thinks that's acceptable behaviour. I will take action if required, and don't forget we can exclude people for three hours. I'd like everyone to stay here for question time so we can all listen to the questions and answers.