The Australian home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has confirmed that a return permit has been issued to the last Australian woman linked to the Islamic State group who was detained in a Syrian refugee camp, after the government was advised it could no longer enforce a criminal exclusion order.
The woman, understood to be former Sydney resident Hodan Abby, will face unprecedented security monitoring upon her arrival, including constant surveillance and regular reporting requirements. She is the final member of a group of Australian women and children who sought to return home from a camp in northern Syria, years after traveling to the Middle East with husbands and fathers who fought for the Islamic State terror group.
Legal Advice Forces Permit Issuance
Burke told ABC Radio on Thursday that the permit was the final stage of the temporary exclusion order process governing Abby's movements. The original block on her return was based on advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio), but the government now lacks legal powers to prevent her return.
"The temporary exclusion order applies until a [return] permit is issued. And when a permit is requested, a permit lawfully has to be issued," Burke said. "I've been working through with my department, my agencies, Australian Federal Police and Asio, and with the lawyers to see every possible condition we can put on that permit. We received the final advice yesterday that we can no longer have an exclusion condition any longer for her."
Strict Monitoring Conditions
The government has not specified when Abby will return to Australia. She was previously blocked from boarding a flight from Damascus in May. Once back, she will be monitored at home, work, study, and in the community. The permit requires her to give 24 hours' notice before using any communications device, including mobile phones or public pay phones.
"There will be a very high level of scrutiny and surveillance," Burke said. "That's the absolute legal limit we've been able to go to and our agencies are ready."
Political Backlash Expected
Abby's impending return is likely to spark renewed political criticism of the Labor government's handling of the group and the prolonged process of their repatriation. The women and children spent over a decade in the Middle East, first under Islamic State rule and then in squalid detention camps after the caliphate's collapse. Some children were born in the camp and have never lived normal lives in Australia.
Members of the group who have already returned have faced criminal charges, including alleged enslavement, joining a prescribed terror group, and crimes against humanity.
Coalition frontbencher James Paterson accused the government of making excuses. "This is a government which frankly just hasn't had its heart in protecting Australia from this dangerous cohort of people," he said. "The government should have used every single lever at its power to keep these people offshore and they have failed to do so."
Agency Preparedness
Asio director-general Mike Burgess confirmed his agency's involvement. "I'm satisfied that my organisation is ready for the return," he told ABC. "When there are Australians who have been overseas in places like Syria and Iraq who represent security concerns, we assess them. We know the level of the risk and anyone who's considered a high or medium risk gets my agency's full attention."
