Sussan Ley is back:

In September, the Prime Minister was asked about returning ISIS brides and said, quote ‘the Australian Government is not providing assistance to this cohort’ but senate estimates of evidence suggested the government persisted with medical interviews and DNA tests for children and citizenship by descent claims and assisted with passports. Why did the Prime Minister to Australians bumping or doing the exact opposite?

My Dolly this is a long bow to draw. This is the first question the opposition has asked on this issue all week, despite Michaelia Cash and others trying to make it a primary issue and honestly – this is what they come up with when Ley finally capitulates and has a question included in their QT attack?

Because a department providing documents that Australians are LEGALLY entitled to, is not ‘providing assistance’ it is fulfilling a duty.

Tony Burke:

I’m glad the Leader of the Opposition has raised this, to be able to do that directly and personally after some of the claims made by Senator Paterson in senate estimates yesterday.

Everything that was just described as assistance by the Leader of the Opposition, would have been an offence for the government to do. Under the citizenship act once someone applies there is an obligation to make a decision according to law, under the laws governing passports. If someone is eligible for passport applies to one of our embassies, there is an obligation for them to be provided.

These individuals received what they were entitled to, no more, no more and no less. What is hidden behind the Leader of the Opposition is saying, what she is suggesting, maybe this is part of them being the party of Robodebt but one of the options in front of the government was not to follow Australian law.

Australian law has been followed no more and no less. These individuals, when they return to Australia and a small number of them have, a much larger number of them returned under those opposite, and those who returned under those opposite, to give a complete comparison with the example just provided by the Leader of the Opposition.