The Albanese government must assume “full responsibility” if there is any risk to Australians from repatriating women and children from Syrian camps after the fall of Islamic State, Michaelia Cash has warned.
The former attorney general made the remarks following the return of four Australian women and 13 children to Sydney on Saturday.
The mothers, who were partners to Islamic State members, could face continued controls, including ankle monitors and curfews, based off a fear they had been radicalised while in Syria.
On Sunday the government leader in the house, Tony Burke, told Channel Nine that “a lot of the people we’re talking about here are children, [and] some of the women … were tricked in terms of their own personal circumstances”.
“Everybody wants to make sure that we take every precaution for people’s safety. The government’s doing that.”
The women will be individually assessed for any risk they might pose to the Australian public, then monitored accordingly.
Cash, now the shadow workplace relations minister, told Sky News it was “fundamental” that the government “must always do [what] is in the national interest and in the best interests of Australians”.
“These people understood [when they left Australia], they made a decision and the decision would have consequences.”
Cash called on the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to explain what checks had been undertaken and “what security measures are they now putting in place to ensure that at all times … Australians are kept safe”.
“These are people who have been living in a situation whereby they have associated with people who hate Australia.”
Cash said “it takes around 300 police officers and $4m per year” to ensure we know what a person considered a security risk is doing, citing comments by the Liberal leader and former home affairs minister, Peter Dutton.
“If there is any risk to the Australian people Mr Albanese and the relevant minister, they will assume full responsibility for their decisions.”
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said the government needed to understand the decision added to the “trauma” of people who fled Islamic State and sought refugee status in Australia.
“I don’t think we should underestimate the gravity of what these people did and what these refugees fled from.
“And I think sometimes governments have to take tough decisions, have to do it for the greater good rather than individual.”
Among the group of Australian citizens repatriated by the federal government were Kamalle Dabboussy’s daughter, Mariam, and her children.
Dabboussy said his daughter was coerced into going to Syria. Many of the other women, some of whom are still there, also say they were tricked or forced into going with their husbands. When their husbands were killed or imprisoned, they were detained.
On Saturday the women released a statement, saying they were “deeply thankful to be back home in Australia with our children”.
“We appreciate the complexity and significant work it has taken from many people, including the Australian government, to bring us home,” the statement said. “We want to express our regret for the trouble and hurt we have caused, especially to our families.
“We are willing to do whatever is asked of us by government authorities to ensure the safety of our families and the Australian community and we will fully cooperate with all Australian law enforcement agencies.”
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has said the decision to repatriate the Australians was informed by national security advice, individual assessments and “detailed work by national security agencies”.
“The government has carefully considered the range of security, community and welfare factors in making the decision to repatriate.”
The Save the Children chief executive, Mat Tinkler, said the camp was “one of the worst places in the world to be a child”.
He thanked the government for making “the right decision”.
