{"id":24207,"date":"2026-02-22T21:10:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24207"},"modified":"2026-02-22T21:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:10:23","slug":"australia-news-live-coalition-reveals-plan-to-criminalise-helping-australians-leave-syria-health-warning-as-measles-spreads-in-melbourne-australia-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24207","title":{"rendered":"Australia news live: Coalition reveals plan to criminalise helping Australians leave Syria; health warning as measles spreads in Melbourne | Australia news"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Coalition details plan to criminalise assisting people with links to Islamic State<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Ted O\u2019Brien,<\/strong> the shadow minister for foreign affairs, is speaking this morning about a new opposition plan to make it a criminal offence to help Australians with links to the Islamic State to return home.<\/p>\n

The proposal comes as lawmakers wrangle over the future of 34 women and children stuck in Syria<\/a> with links to dead or detained Islamic State fighters.<\/p>\n

The Albanese government said the country will not assist in repatriation efforts, but those in the group have been issued passports and travel documents as is required by law.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien told RN Breakfast the plan would close a loophole in the law, saying it would bar the government from \u201coutsourcing the repatriation of terror sympathisers back to Australia\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the proposal should apply \u201cacross the board\u201d. When pressed if a new law would include barring anyone from helping children come home to Australia, O\u2019Brien said there would be no \u201cautomatic exemption\u201d for kids.<\/p>\n

The shadow minister also said the law could penalise non-governmental organisations like Save the Children if they were \u201cassisting foreign fighters, families or sympathisers of terrorists\u201d.<\/p>\n