Given this debate is once again raging (we seem to do this every couple of years as a country) let’s be clear – Australian citizens have the right to return to Australia. There are only very rare cases where citizenship can be stripped, and that is only if the person is a dual citizen – Australia can not leave people stateless.

So even if you call Australian citizens ‘ISIS brides’ they are still citizens. And they have the right to return to Australia, where, if they have broken Australian laws, can be investigated and judged by Australian authorities and courts. Australian citizens have the right to access Australian services and safety nets. They are subject to the same rules as every other Australian citizen.

This is not a left/right issue – it is citizenship law. It’s the constitution, not wishful thinking.