Coalition backs One Nation's bill to block return of Australians linked to terrorism

The Liberal-National Coalition has pledged to work with One Nation on a bill introduced by Pauline Hanson that seeks to prevent Australians with connections to overseas terrorist groups from coming back home. Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan publicly endorsed the plan, and senior shadow ministers including Ted O’Brien and Jonno Duniam offered to help refine the legislation. The proposal would make it easier to cancel passports, impose penalties on those who facilitate returns, and introduce a “foreign terrorist fighter exclusion order” issued by a federal court at the home affairs minister’s request.

Labor would need to move the bill through the House of Representatives, a step the government says is unlikely after home affairs minister Tony Burke warned it would survive only “about 30 seconds” in the High Court. The move reflects the Coalition’s traditional focus on national security, even as it vows to counter Hanson’s rising influence.