The Albanese government, backed by the Greens and key crossbench senators, voted down a One Nation bill on Thursday that sought to stop Australians who fought for or supported terrorist organisations abroad from returning home. The bill's defeat prompted a sharp response from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who accused Labor of failing its "first responsibility" to keep Australians safe, while critics argued the legislation was legally flawed and unlikely to survive court challenges.

The Protecting Australians from Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill would have let the Home Affairs Minister seek Federal Court orders barring the return of Australians who had served, participated in or materially supported listed terrorist groups overseas, alongside tougher bail rules and expanded passport cancellation powers. It was driven largely by One Nation's opposition to the May repatriation of 19 Australian women and children, dubbed "ISIS brides", from Syrian detention camps. Greens senator David Shoebridge called the bill unconstitutional "clickbait" politics, while independent David Pocock said the underlying issue was nuanced but sided against the bill following evidence from a Senate inquiry, which had flagged vague drafting and overlap with existing exclusion order powers.