EDITORIAL: Albanese must explain everything about ISIS brides

The revelation that 34 ISIS-linked Australian women and children have been trying to leave a Syrian detention camp and make their way here has created community alarm.

It also seems to have created panic in the Albanese Government in an atmosphere of heightened tension over immigration. The Government has been unable to put together a coherent response.

There was no warning about any of this. It would appear the Government was desperately hoping the cohort would just slip into the country unannounced, leaving the Australian community none the wiser.

The first time most Australians would have known the group was headed our way was last week when photos emerged of them preparing to leave the camp. As it happened they were stopped by local authorities and turned around.

The Government’s first reaction was to say as little as possible.

Mr Albanese then began to play his word games, arguing “we are providing no assistance to these people” — ignoring the reality that providing travel documents is help in itself.

On Sunday he turned to playing politics by saying former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison had allowed ISIS fighters back into Australia.

And Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke argued the legal threshold for a temporary exclusion order barring a return to Australia — slapped on one of the latest group — was lower than for refusing a passport because it wasn’t a permanent decision.

But on Monday NSW Premier Chris Minns blew open the issue when he said up to a third of the new group could be returned to his State and that discussions between Commonwealth and NSW officials began late last year.

So as various pieces of information trickle into the public domain — no thanks to the Federal Government — the questions continue to mount.

Under what circumstances did the women leave Australia in the first place? How did they get to Syria? What role did they play there? How many were born in Australia? Where were the others from? Did they break the law by going to a conflict zone? If a third go to NSW, where would the others go? Where are the fighters who Mr Albanese says came back? Are they in jail? Are they being monitored? By who? How much is that costing taxpayers?

It is nearly 25 years since former prime minister John Howard made the famous declaration that “we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come” to keep out asylum seekers picked up by a Norwegian vessel, the MV Tampa.

The mystery around the ISIS brides reads as if they have flipped the Howard mantra on its head and so they will decide to come to Australia and the circumstances in which they will come.

Rather than busting a gut to create the impression it is hands-off about the whole affair the Albanese Government should have the guts to stand up and fully explain what is going on.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.