Pauline Hanson has offered to join forces with the Liberal Party to ban 13 Australian men linked to Islamic State from ever returning home including the notorious “Doctor Jihad”.
The Adelaide-trained doctor who left Australia to join Islamic State was reportedly found alive in a Baghdad prison almost a decade after he was believed to have been killed.
Dubbed “Dr Jihad”, Tareq Kamleh was a Perth-born pediatrician who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State and appeared in ISIS propaganda videos.
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In a letter obtained by news.com.au Senator Hanson has warned that a change in the law is imperative to keeping the 13 men linked to Islamic State locked out of Australia.
The alliance would not provide enough numbers to pass the legislation outright because the Coalition holds 27 seats and One Nation holds 4 seats in the 76-member Senate. That’s 31 votes and a 39 vote majority is required to pass laws.
However, it would provide extraordinary pressure on the Albanese Government to act.
“One Nation’s position is absolute. These people chose the terrorist organisation Islamic State over Australia,’’ Senator Hanson said.
She warned the men should “never set foot here again.”
“Not with a permit. Not under surveillance. Not at all,’’ she said.
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“If the Home Affairs Minister genuinely believes the law prevents him from protecting Australians, his duty is not simply to accept it. His duty is to come to Parliament and change it.”
“So here is my offer. One Nation will vote with the Coalition, in both chambers, for legislation that strengthens Australia’s counter-terrorism laws to the fullest extent permitted by the Constitution, including the laws governing temporary exclusion, terrorism offences, bail, citizenship consequences, passport issuance powers and post-release supervision.
“We will support every lawful measure necessary to protect Australians from those who voluntarily joined terrorist organisations overseas.
“Let’s work together to draft these bills. We will back them. I do not care whose name is on the paper. I care that it passes before the gates of that Baghdad prison open.”
Senator Hanson’s letter notes that fifteen women linked to Islamic State have already flown into Australia.
“This Labor Government is doing everything it can to enable these people to return, while telling the Australian people it is powerless to stop them,’’ she warned.
Speaking on Sky News, Defence Minister Richard Marles was asked if he was prepared to strengthen the terrorism laws but failed to provide a clear answer.
“I would point out that when the Coalition were in government, wasn’t just ISIS brides; it was ISIS fighters who were returning to the country,’’ Mr Marles said.
“We have not been involved in the repatriation of anyone returning from that part of the world involved in that conflict.
“Our security and intelligence agencies are amongst the very best in the world, and they are monitoring this situation and acting accordingly to keep Australians safe. And I have complete confidence in our national security agencies in doing that.”
Mr Marles refused to confirm that the government was warned years ago that Dr Jihadi was alive.
“Well, I’m not about to go into any of that. As I say, we have intelligence agencies and security agencies which are the best in the world,’’ Mr Marles said.
“There’s a whole lot of information there which must be kept in the classified realm, and so I’m obviously not going to go into any of those details, but you know your viewers should be assured that that that the agencies that we have are the best in the world, and we are supporting them in keeping Australians safe.
“We’re supporting them in doing it.”
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