Some Australian women linked to Islamic State fighters may face arrest and possible charges upon their return from Syria this week, as the government and federal police have pledged a hardline response when the group arrives.
Government Confirms Repatriation
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed that the government is aware that four Australian women and nine of their children have begun the journey home after leaving the al-Roj detention camp in Syria and traveling to Damascus last month. All individuals hold Australian passports.
“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” Burke said. “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.”
Australian citizens cannot legally be prevented from returning to the country unless a formal exclusion order is in place. Burke has issued a single order to prevent one woman in Syria from returning, based on advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) regarding a national security risk.
Other Top News
- Trump puts ‘Project Freedom’ on hold, expressing hope to finalise a deal with Iran.
- Search called off for an Australian hiker missing in a rugged Canadian national park.
- Cameron Smith given ‘every assurance’ that LIV Golf will continue amid funding uncertainty.
- Fresh doubts emerge over a 2007 murder case that gripped Italy: ‘If he didn’t do it, who did?’
- Vigils for Kumanjayi Little Baby to be held across Australia for the five-year-old.
- Horrified Wagga residents call for proper sanitation at a homeless camp where a baby was found dead.
In Pictures
Illustration: Jess Harwood/The Guardian. “As a kid I would do his voice, put on my dad’s work shirt and host my own nature documentaries in the back yard,” writes Guardian Australia cartoonist Jess Harwood. “Thank you, David Attenborough, for 100 incredible years of life on Earth.” Check out Jess’s cartoon dedicated to Attenborough.
What They Said
“You don’t just want to sit on what you’ve done before. We put it together, we love to do it, and there is always something more in there.” – The Rolling Stones lead guitarist, Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones gathered friends, journalists, and fellow artists for a preview of their forthcoming 25th album, Foreign Tongues. Host Conan O’Brien deadpanned that perhaps, finally, this is the album where the band will “finally make it after decades of obscurity.”
Full Story: Everyone Is Talking About Farrer – Here’s What You Need to Know
This weekend’s byelection in the NSW regional electorate of Farrer could yield a historic result that signifies a shift in Australia’s political landscape. Since its creation, the seat has always been held by a Liberal or National candidate – the last being former opposition leader Sussan Ley, whose resignation triggered this vote. However, the frontrunners this time are not from any of the major parties. Instead, it is tipped to be a hotly contested battle between an independent and a One Nation candidate who could be the party’s first ever elected to the lower house. Political reporter Sarah Basford Canales speaks to Reged Ahmad about why this election matters.
Before Bed Read
“Gender equality isn’t women v men or a zero-sum game,” Ged Kearney tells Guardian Australia’s Tory Shepherd. As the assistant minister for the prevention of family violence sets off on a national listening tour with the special envoy for men’s health, Dan Repacholi, they are up against a pervasive and very different conception of how men and women relate, fostered by the loud voices of the manosphere and men’s rights activists.
Daily Word Game
Today’s starter word is: GET. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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