A One Nation government would take every conceivable step to ensure ISIS terrorists like Tareq Kamleh – the so-called ‘Dr Jihad’ – never set foot in Australia.

Party leader Senator Pauline Hanson said that by joining the barbaric ISIS cult, terrorists like Kamleh had waived any moral claim to Australian citizenship.

“The Australian community’s safety must be protected,” Senator Hanson said. “Australians don’t want these people coming back and they’re appalled at the Albanese Labor government’s efforts to bring them back.

“Unlike the Albanese Labor government, which cannot be honest or transparent with the Australian people about its role in facilitating the return of ISIS terrorists, a One Nation government would take every possible measure to ensure they never return.

“I’m sick of this Labor government hiding behind excuses and keeping Australians in the dark. Foreign minister Penny Wong in December last year refused to say if more of these terrorists would return to Australia, yet from documents released in the Estimates process it’s abundantly clear they knew all along.

“These documents show that just six months before the Bondi terrorist attack, Home Affairs minister Tony Burke held a secret meeting with advocates seeking the return of individuals who had travelled to ISIS-controlled territory. Notes record Mr Burke saying: ‘the thinking is if people are able to get out, there are no blockages to them returning’ and that the government ‘doesn’t want to be perceived to have been paying to have them smuggled out’. The notes also record the Minister stating there ‘may be a way to achieve the same outcome without government undertakings’.

“Then – astonishingly – departmental officials were asked to leave the room so a ‘frank discussion’ could continue behind closed doors. There is no official record of what happened next. Tony Burke cannot hide in secret meetings behind closed doors with people looking to bring terrorists to Australia and expect Australians to trust him. What was discussed after officials were removed? What commitments were made? What did he mean by ‘the same outcome without government undertakings’?

“One Nation’s position is clear. If you chose to join or support a terrorist organisation, you chose to turn your back on Australia. We will never allow these terrorists back into this country. We will do whatever necessary to stop them returning and to keep Australians safe.”