In 2022, Labor MPs urged compassion for Australian women and children stuck in Syria. Now Albanese has only contempt

The government’s drastically changed rhetoric about its legal obligations to Australian citizens is a symptom of 2026’s ugly politics

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Just after question time on 23 November 2022, the federal parliament debated a motion relating to the repatriation of four Australian women and 13 children who had been stuck in a Syrian detention camp since the fall of Islamic State three years prior.

One after another Labor MPs argued with passion, clarity and logic about why it was not just acceptable, but necessary and morally right, for the federal government to assist the return of its own citizens from the squalid and dangerous camps.