Government in no rush to repatriate ISIS brides: Payne

The government is in no rush to repatriate 66 Australian women, children from Syria.

Marise Payne in the Senate. Picture: AAP.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne says the Morrison government is in no rush to repatriate 66 Australian women and children trapped in Syria despite rapidly deteriorating conditions.

The security situation in the al-Hawl camp has dramatically deteriorated in the past 48 hours, with Islamic State supporters opening fire at guards.

Senator Payne said the Australians, most of them under five, are in a complex situation.

“The repatriation of any people in Syria in those contexts at the moment is very, very difficult,” she told ABC radio on Wednesday. “It’s complicated by the fact the area is highly dangerous and unstable.”

Senator Payne said the Australian government would weigh each case individually.

“As far as individuals are concerned and in some cases families, we are assessing each of those cases on their merits, but our first duty is of course to protect Australia and Australians,” she said.

“We are talking about people who may have been involved in supporting terrorism, may have fought with terrorists in Syria and Iraq, and that does pose a threat to the safety of Australia and Australians

“I think the Australian population would expect us to make our assessments of each case on its own merits.”

’Disappointed’ over Palfreeman

When asked about jailed Australian Jock Palfreeman, who is still being held in immigration detention in Bulgaria, Senator Payne said she was “deeply disappointed” he was still behind bars.

The Sydney man was granted parole last month after serving more than 11 years in a Bulgarian jail, but has been taken back into custody, with his case returning to court next week.

Senator Payne says she is concerned there could be “non-legal” matters at play in his case, after his release was met with outrage in Bulgaria and prompted the country’s prosecutor-general to lodge an extraordinary petition to suspend his parole.

“I’m certainly deeply disappointed that he remains detained in Bulgaria. Our officials are making every effort on the ground to secure his return to Australia,” Senator Payne said.

“That of course has to be consistent with the Bulgarian legal decision to release it on parole.”

Mr Palfreeman was jailed in 2009 for stabbing law student Andrei Monov — son of a prominent Bulgarian politician — in 2007.

The Sydneysider, educated at the prestigious St Ignatius College, Riverview, has always maintained he was trying to stop Mr Monov and a group of friends from attacking two Roma men.

Senator Payne attempted to discuss Mr Palfreeman’s case with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva at the United Nations last week, but was denied a meeting.

Russia probe

Senator Payne defended Australia’s support for a United States investigation looking into the origins of a probe into Russian interference at the US 2016 election.

The Morrison government on Tuesday confirmed Donald Trump called the Prime Minister to assist US Attorney-General Bill Barr’s investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation.

Mr Barr’s investigation is part of the Trump administration’s attempts to discredit the Russia probe as politically motivated.

But Senator Payne denied any suggestion Australia had become embroiled in a US domestic political dispute.

“I don’t see it as Australia being dragged into a US political issue,” she said. “We’re conducting ourselves as you would expect us to do in these circumstances, we are working in Australia’s interests and we are working with our closest and most important ally.”