One adult among a group of 34 Australian women and children in a Syrian detention camp has been issued a temporary exclusion order (TEO), preventing them from returning to Australia for up to two years. The group, released from al-Roj camp on Monday, was forced back due to poor coordination between relatives and the Damascus government, according to a camp official.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the TEO on Wednesday, stating it was made on advice from security agencies. However, the rest of the group has not been assessed as meeting the threshold for such orders, potentially allowing them to re-enter Australia if they can make their own way back. The identity of the individual under the TEO has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be an adult.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintained that the government is providing no assistance to the group, insisting it is simply implementing Australian law. “We are providing no assistance to these people, and won’t provide any assistance to these people, but we won’t breach Australian law,” he said.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam questioned the decision, arguing that all members of the cohort travelled to the same declared area to support the same terrorist organisation. He suggested the opposition would support lowering the threshold for TEOs. Legal experts raised concerns about the impact on any children of the excluded woman, noting they may be separated from their mother.
