CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia is set to pass laws that would allow the government to prevent suspected extremists from returning home for up to two years while Australian supporters of the Islamic State group are demanding to be repatriated from crowded Syrian refugee camps.
The bills based on British law are scheduled for debate in the Senate on Wednesday after they were passed Tuesday night in the House of Representatives where the conservative government holds a majority.
The center-left Labor Party opposition wants the legislation made more consistent with the British model with amendments. But the opposition supported the legislation in the House, indicating that their misgivings are not sufficient to attempt to block its passage.
Aid groups estimate at least 50 Australian women and children are stranded in Syrian refugee camps.