Michaelia Cash ‘calls bulls**t’ and accuses Anthony Albanese of ‘lying’ over repatriation of ISIS brides

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

The government is facing increasing scrutiny over its 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 Tony Burke this week confirming passports had been issued.

The PM had on Tuesday said: “My mother would have said, ‘If you make your bed, you lie in it’.”

“We won’t repatriate them. These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate,” Mr Albanese told ABC News Breakfast.

Senator Cash, however, accused Mr 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,” she said.

“I’m going to do something really unparliamentary and I’m going to call bulls**t on this Prime Minister. You are lying to the Australian people. You are assisting these women and their children, who turn their back on Australia, to come back here.

“Don’t treat Australians as mugs.”

The women and children had attempted to leave the camp on Monday — with photos and videos emerging of their preparations — but they were then turned back by Syrian authorities.

Health Minister Mark Butler was quizzed on the ISIS brides’ return on Sunrise on Friday and said citizenship and passports were still a consideration.

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

“These are, of course, the same passport laws that operated under the former government when about 40 people came back from Syria, not just women and children, but also fighters themselves.

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

Cabinet Minister Murray Watt said 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 on Friday morning.