Pauline Hanson’s ISIS plan, Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill, backed by Senator Bridget McKenzie

A senior Nationals senator has welcomed One Nation’s Protecting Australians from Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill, pledging to work “in good faith” with the minor party when parliament returns next month.

The Australian revealed on Wednesday that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson had sent the 22-page Bill and a lengthy explainer to fellow crossbenchers.

It was accompanied by a missive criticising Opposition Leader Angus Taylor for not responding to another letter she penned to him last week – something he remedied that evening, according to the paper.

The Bill proposes a foreign terrorist fighter exclusion order, barring those on one from entering the country.

It would also stop automatically issued return permits while a case is before court, make it harder to get bail for terrorism offences, block passports for anyone subject to an exclusion order and make it a crime to help an unauthorised return.

Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie said on Thursday “the opposition welcomes crossbench contributions to strengthen our laws when it comes to returning ISIS fighters” but lamented that it was needed and called on Labor to “pony up”.

“It’s not up to the crossbench or the Liberal and the National Party opposition to be drafting laws to keep Australians safe – that’s actually the role of government,” she told Nine’s Today.

“The government has an army of well-trained solicitors at their disposal through the Solicitor-General’s Department, the Home Affairs Department.

“They should be drafting laws to make sure we can actually keep Australians safe.”

Senator McKenzie said “ministers should pony up … and use the laws that are already in existence” to “cancel passports, refuse to issue travel documents or, indeed, delay the issuing”.

“Now, none of those options were taken into consideration by the Labor Party with the return of the ‘ISIS brides’,” she said.

More to come...