Australia news live: Tony Burke accuses Coalition of ‘silly hypocrisy’ on Syria camp group

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Martin FarrerFebruary 18, 2026 at 08:51 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke accused the Coalition of hypocrisy regarding the return of 34 Australian wives and children of IS fighters from Syrian camps. Burke stated that the Coalition should review the laws they implemented while in government if they want to permanently exclude the group. He pointed out that repatriations and self-managed returns of Australians, including fighters, occurred under the previous Morrison government. The current government announced a two-year entry ban for one member of the group. Separately, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters criticized the political instability and leadership changes within both the Australian Labor and Liberal parties, attributing it to personal ego and hindering strong bilateral relations.

Keywords

is-linked families 90% political hypocrisy 80% coalition 70% repatriation 70% syria 70% australian politics 60% tony burke 60% political turmoil 50% winston peters 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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