Australia's Pauline Hanson proposes anti‑terror bill to block ISIS returnees

Australian MP Pauline Hanson has introduced a Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill that would remove appeal provisions from current exclusion orders and shift authority for issuing those orders from the minister to the courts. The proposal is intended to prevent Australian citizens who joined ISIS, including fighters and their spouses, from returning to Australia.

The bill comes amid ongoing debate over repatriation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that 45 ISIS fighters and about 40 brides and their children have already been returned under previous governments, and pledged the new government will “do everything we can within the law” to stop further returns. The legislation is also framed as a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s long‑standing pressure on Australia to bring back its ISIS‑aligned citizens, arguing that keeping them abroad poses a security risk.