The government is in charge.

It happened on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 8:04 am.

Tony Burke said the government must let the woman return to Australia because of legal advice.

Here is a short summary:

A woman with ties to Islamic State can now return to Australia.

The Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, had stopped her from coming home before.

What happens next?

Mr. Burke said the woman will be watched very closely when she returns.

A woman living in Syria, connected to Islamic State, can now come back to Australia.

The woman, an Australian citizen, was not allowed to return because of a temporary exclusion order by Tony Burke.

This order can stop Australian citizens from coming home for up to two years unless they ask for a permit.

The order gives the government time to make a security plan to keep the community safe.

If someone asks to return, the government can't keep them out for more than 12 months.

Mr. Burke said the government couldn't refuse her request for a permit after they got it.

Mr. Burke said they got the final advice the day before and could no longer keep her out.

The woman got her permit on Wednesday night and will return with her child.

She is still in Syria after being stopped from flying to Australia with other women and children in February.

The group had 11 families with 23 children and were trying to go home from the Al-Roj refugee camp.

When they got to Australia, three were charged with terrorism and slavery crimes.

The woman was the only one from the group who got a temporary exclusion order and is the last one still in Syria with her child.

It's not clear where in Syria she is.

The surveillance will be at its highest level allowed by law.

Mr. Burke said security agencies are ready to watch her very closely.

He said all possible conditions will apply to her.

She will have to tell them where she lives, works, and studies, and if she books a ticket.

She won't be able to use any phone, email, or social media without telling the authorities 24 hours in advance.

This rule even applies to using the internet.

Even using a public phone requires 24 hours' notice.

The head of Australia's spy agency said they will use all their powers to manage her return.

He said they assess Australians who have been in places like Syria and Iraq and are security risks.

He said those who are a high or medium risk get their full attention.

The woman is the last to return from the Syrian camps.

Mr. Burke confirmed she and her child are the last Australians expected to return from the refugee camps in Syria.

The government was under pressure from US officials about how they handled the families' return.

In February, a US official wrote a letter wanting countries to bring back their citizens, especially with recent developments.

The official said Australia had opposed bringing them back from the camp.

The opposition party criticized the government for the woman's return, saying it was the last in a line of failures.

They said the government should have kept them from returning and failed to do so.

The opposition said these people are not welcome in Australia.

Earlier, Mr. Burke said the woman went to Syria under the previous government.

In 2019, the previous government brought back eight Australian children from Syria.

It happened on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 8:04 am.

It happened on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10:40 am.

Practice Listening