Key facts
- An Australian woman with Islamic State links has been cleared to return to Australia.
- A criminal exclusion order against her can no longer be enforced.
- She will be subject to high levels of security monitoring upon arrival.
- She is the final member of an Australian group of women and children returning from Syria.
An Australian woman with ties to the Islamic State group has been granted permission to return to Australia, as the government can no longer legally enforce a criminal exclusion order against her. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that the woman will be subjected to an "unprecedented level of security monitoring," including constant surveillance and mandatory regular reporting to authorities. This decision marks the return of the last Australian woman and child from a refugee camp in northern Syria, years after they traveled to the Middle East to join their husbands and fathers fighting with IS.
Burke explained that the permit to travel was the final step in the temporary exclusion order process. The initial block on her return was based on advice from the spy agency Asio. "The temporary exclusion order applies until a [return] permit is issued. And when a permit is requested, a permit lawfully has to be issued," he said. He added that extensive efforts were made with his department, agencies, the Australian Federal Police, and Asio, along with legal counsel, to impose every possible condition on the permit. "We received the final advice yesterday that we can no longer have an exclusion condition any longer for her."