Pauline Hanson’s anti-terror bill dismissed by government as unconstitutional
Pauline Hanson has urged her Senate colleagues to back a proposed ban on Islamic State-linked Australians from returning home, but the government has knocked back the idea, saying it is unconstitutional.
In a letter to crossbench senators seen by nine.com.au, the One Nation leader asked for support on a proposed bill that would ban foreign terrorist fighters, stop the automatic issue of return permits, strengthen bail laws for terror offences and make it an offence to organise or facilitate an unauthorised return.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson is asking her colleagues for support on a bill that would ban Islamic State-linked Australians from returning home which the government says is unconstitutional. Getty
“We seek your support to introduce, debate and pass the bill during the coming parliamentary sitting period, including any procedural steps needed to bring it before the Senate,” she wrote.
“The safety of Australians should come first. I hope we can work together to close this gap in the law.”
Hanson said she had also written to Opposition Leader Angus Taylor to work on strengthening his terror bill but has not received a reply.
“The opposition’s bill from earlier this year is a step in the right direction, but it does not go far enough,” she wrote.
Taylor, however, said he has responded to One Nation and asked them to support his bill currently before parliament.
“We’re happy to work with everybody across the parliament to make sure that terrorists don’t come back into this country and for months, I’ve been talking about our plan to make sure they can’t come back into this country,” he said.
“One Nation and others can support our legislation that we have introduced to the parliament to prevent third-party repatriation of terrorists to this country.”
Hanson has flagged concerns about Tareq Kamleh – the Perth paediatrician who was dubbed “Dr Jihad” after leaving Australia to join IS – who was presumed dead until last week when it was revealed he was alive in an Iraqi jail.
Tareq Kamleh pictured in an ISIS propaganda video. Supplied
There are concerns he may seek to come back to Australia.
Dozens of alleged IS brides returned to the country earlier this year, several of whom have since been charged by police.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he does not want any IS-linked Australians home but the government is bound by the constitution.
“The laws that we have that we use and that I have used are the laws that were put in place by the previous government that had already been decided went right to the limit of what you could do constitutionally, right to the limit,” he said.
“The reality is every country in the world has to take back its own citizens.
“I get that there are people we don’t want back, but can I say there are about 750 people every year who I make leave. About 750 people where I make sure that their countries have to take them back.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed a similar response to Hanson’s bill, saying citizenship has rights protected under the constitution.
“Look, no one has any sympathy for people who’ve gone and fought for ISIS overseas,” he told the ABC.
“We will do everything we can within the law, though. We’ll also provide no support for any of these people to return to Australia.”
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