Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. It's been widely reported that an ISIS bride cohort of 34 people is currently seeking to travel to Australia. How many adults and how many children constitute this group? How many of the children are over the age of 14 and therefore could potentially be subjected to a temporary exclusion order? How many Australian passports in total have been issued to them?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has not only been widely reported. You might recall, in fact, that an NGO took the government to court, seeking that we repatriate that cohort. The government opposed that court application, and we were successful in that opposition. It is not simply a set of media propositions; it has been very clear for some time that there are individuals who wish to return from Syria—as has been evinced by the court case, which was resisted by the government. The government has made it clear that we are not repatriating this cohort as occurred under Prime Minister Morrison. We know that there are people in Syria who are Australians wishing to return to Australia. We have answered questions very clearly, in estimates and in this place, about passports. I have said very clearly that Australian citizens are entitled to a passport unless—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order on direct relevance. How many are over 14? How many passports have been issued to the cohort?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is responding to your question. Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll say again that Australian citizens who apply for a passport—absent the security assessments that I dealt with when Senator Duniam asked me a question—are entitled to a passport. You may not have been in Senate estimates, where we were asked this question multiple times. It was made clear that, for privacy and security reasons, we're not in a position to go to individuals. What I can say as a general proposition is that Australian citizens—absent those provisions of the passport that I was asked about before—are entitled to a passport.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, first supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On or around what date were individual reviews, including face-to-face interviews, most recently conducted by Australian intelligence or law enforcement agencies with the entire group of 34 people?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, we are not repatriating this cohort, and we don't discuss the work of intelligence agencies.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, second supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prior to granting their passports, what specific questioning was undertaken, by whom and when to determine whether these individuals still support an Islamic caliphate and Islamic State atrocities such as massacres, sexual slavery, rape, human trafficking, forced conversions, child abductions, beheadings, stonings and torture? What formal assessment has the government sought and obtained regarding this group's views towards people of other religions, particularly Jewish Australians?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Security assessments are undertaken by security organisations, including ASIO. As Minister Burke has said publicly—I've repeated it today—no such request following an assessment for cancellation of a passport was made by a security agency.