ISIS brides' second attempt to reach Australia sparks fury as Angus Taylor doubles down on who is a 'bad country'

By NICHOLAS COMINO, POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:05, 26 April 2026 | Updated: 04:06, 26 April 2026 The Opposition has declared the Albanese government must do 'everything possible' to prevent Australian women linked to ISIS fighters from returning home. Four Australian women and nine children and grandchildren left the Al‑Roj detention camp in north‑eastern Syria on Friday, beginning a 10‑hour journey to Damascus.  Camp coordinators confirmed 13 people had departed with logistical support from Syrian authorities, raising concern in Canberra about whether the group could ultimately attempt to reach Australia.  Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has said the women knowingly abandoned Australia to support a terrorist organisation and should not be permitted to return. 'These are people who left this country to be part of the Islamic State caliphate,' he told ABC's Insiders host David Speers on Sunday.  'ISIS is a terrorist organisation. Supporting it is a terrorist offence, and Australian security must come first.' Taylor accused the Albanese government of failing to use the powers available to it, claiming ministers were allowing third parties to assist with repatriation efforts. 'The government should be making every possible effort not to accept these people back into the country,' he said.  Four Australian women and nine children left the Al‑Roj detention camp on Friday Angus Taylor (pictured) said ISIS brides should not be allowed to return to Australia 'That includes passport issuance and preventing third‑party involvement. We put legislation to the Parliament to stop this, and Labor rejected it.' On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles had been reluctant to comment on the reports of repatriation attempts by the women and children. 'Look, I am loath to go into that on this day, other than to simply say this: the Australian government is not repatriating those people from Syria,' he told Sky News after appearing to discuss Anzac Day commemorations. 'But as I say, today, given the significance of it, I'm loath to go into it in any more detail.' A spokesperson reiterated that the federal government 'is not and will not repatriate people from Syria'. The discussion on ABC's Insiders also reignited debate about Taylor's controversial remarks on migration and so‑called 'bad countries'. Earlier this month, the Coalition unveiled a new migration policy under which all visa holders would have to comply with the Australian Values Statement. Anyone who breaches this could potentially trigger refusal or cancellation of their visa, and it could affect permanent residency assessments. It would also introduce a safe-country list. David Speers (pictured) pushed Taylor over comments he made regarding 'bad countries'  In his speech about the policy, Taylor said immigration screening should be based on beliefs, adding that people who came from liberal democracies were more likely to adopt Australian values. 'Let's be clear, some of the great Australians have come from countries that were bad countries at the time,' he told Speers on Sunday. 'There is a higher risk that some bad people come from those bad countries and so what we have to do is we have to screen not based on country of origin, not based on race, but based on values.' Asked which countries were bad, Taylor would only mention Iran by name, refusing to say whether he considered nations such as the Communist Party-run China as part of the same group. 'The government itself has put legislation in place to make it harder for people to come from Iran,' he said. Taylor also said visa decisions should be driven by intelligence and values rather than ideology. 'If someone wants to come here and overturn our democracy or does not believe in the rule of law, they should not be coming to Australia,' he said.  'If they are already here, their visas should be cancelled.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.