Tony Burke on 13 returnees from Syria — Australian News
Tony Burke has said 13 members of Australian families linked to Islamic State fighters in Syria are set to travel home to Australia very soon, in australian news that puts the government’s handling of the case back in focus. The group includes four women and nine children, and Burke said they are expected in Australia very soon.
Tony Burke on the return
Burke said, "These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation" and added, "As we have said many times – any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law." He also said, "The government is not repatriating and will not repatriate. The government is not assisting and will not assist these individuals."
He said the government has provided no assistance to the group. Burke also said, "They made an appalling disgraceful decision. If any of these individuals find their way back to Australia, if they have committed crimes, they can expect to face the full force of the law, without exception."
Agency planning since 2014
Burke said world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for the possible return of this cohort since 2014. That timeline stretches across the years in which the group remained linked to Islamic State fighters in Syria, while the government said it would not repatriate or assist them.
The home affairs minister also said he received one advice that an individual met the requirements for a temporary exclusion order and acted immediately in relation to that person. He said the Australian Federal Police had put in 31 charges since the 2024 laws were put in place, with 19 of those charges involving minors.
Mike Burgess and online radicalisation
Asio director-general Mike Burgess said he remains "extremely concerned" about the number of young people, particularly young men, who are being radicalised online. He said people who self-radicalise online often show few, if any, real-world indicators they are mobilising for violence, and he described the most likely act of politically motivated violence as one that would occur with "little to no warning" and in ways "that are difficult to attack."
Australia's national terrorism threat level remains at probable. The return of the 13 people now places the focus on the legal response Burke described: any criminal charges would be dealt with under the existing law, while the agencies he named have already been preparing for their arrival.
