Australian news and politics live: Butler says ISIS bride decisions still being considered by security experts

Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash has accused the Albanese government of “lying” over their level of assistance in the repatriation of so-called “ISIS brides” in Syria.

The Government is facing increasing scrutiny over their possible involvement with the group of 11 Australian women and 23 children in a northern Syrian detention camp.

Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said the government isn’t aiding their journey back to Australia despite the Home Affair Minister this week confirming passports had been issued.

Senator Cash accused Anthony Albanese of misleading the public in a fiery Sky News interview on Thursday evening.

“Identity checks, DNA checks, passports being issued, documents for travel being prepared.

“I’m going to do something really unparliamentary and I’m going to call bullshit on this Prime Minister. You are lying to the Australian people. You are assisting these women and their children, who turned their back on Australia, to come back here.

“Don’t treat Australians as mugs.”

Cabinet Minister Murray Watt says the children with the so-called ISIS brides seeking to return from Syria are in that distressing situation “as a result of very bad decisions by their parents”.

While he had sympathy for them, the government’s position of not helping them remained strong.

“We, of course, from a government perspective, focus more than anything, on the safety of Australians, and that explains the basis of our decisions that we’ve made about this group,” he told ABC radio this morning.

He said he hadn’t been briefed about the risks the group of women and children might pose – being the environment minister, not Home Affairs or Attorney-General – but that the government’s decisions were based on advice from national security agencies.

The massive overhaul of the federal environmental laws that passed late last year is slowly coming into effect, with a second stage commencing today.

Environment Minister Murray Watt said the ability to “switch on” elements of the reforms would pave the way for the border changes to start operating smoothly.

“Through this next tranche of changes, we are delivering faster, clearer processes to proponents and communities as quickly as possible,” he said.

The changes come as the government is running recruitment for the Environment Protection Agency, including looking for someone to fill the powerful statutory position at the top of the new body.

The EPA’s offices are being established in the basement of the environment department’s building in the heart of Canberra.

Read the full story here.

Anthony Albanese has one-upped Scott Morrison in a way only a prime minister can: by keeping the job for longer.

Mr Morrison spent three years and 272 days as prime minister before losing government in 2022 – a stint that Mr Albanese overtook today.

In a quirk of fate, a day earlier, Mr Albanese had officially lasted longer in the job than Labor hero John Curtin, who died while in office in 1945, after three years and 271 days as prime minister.

This makes Mr Albanese Australia’s 12th longest serving prime minister – and still counting.

Mr Albanese marks another milestone in the coming weeks too: March 2 is the 30th anniversary of his election to Parliament.

Check out the full story here.

Health Minister Mark Butler has been quizzed on the so-called ISIS Brides return on Sunrise this morning and said ‘citizenship’ and ‘passports’ are still a consideration.

“The Prime Minister says he has nothing but contempt children and the opposition leader says he’s prepared to work with government to tighten laws,” Nat Barr said to Mr Butler on Friday morning.

“The grounds are very specific and they’re very tight and they’re determined ultimately by national security agencies,” Mr Butler responded.

“These are, of course, the same passport laws that government used when about 40 came back from Syria, not women and fighters.

“Angus Taylor knows very strict constitutional limits apply and I think they know that it’s not that easy.

“Ultimately is a matter we all advice from our national security.

“An exclusion order has issued in relation to one of women who in this story, but those have been the laws for some time, and there’s frankly citizenship and passports.

“I think Angus Taylor understands that.”