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ISIS brides Australia costs: The $2m taxpayer bill for monitoring, rehabilitation and welfare

Trendiny

Published on

May 8, 2026

The opposition previously claimed that the cost of round-the-clock surveillance of high-risk individuals linked to the Islamic State group in Australia totals $2 million per person per year, a figure Finance Minister Katy Gallagher couldn’t deny it.

When asked if the figure was accurate, Gallagher told ABC Radio National the government “will spend what we need to keep Australians safe”.

It will not cost Australian taxpayers millions of dollars if the government monitors and rehabilitates every so-called ISIS bride. (AFP)

“I would suggest that the opposition would have done exactly the same thing if they had been in government,” she added.

Gallagher said the children of ISIS brides and fighters who have returned to Australia in particular will need a lot of help and government-run programs to reintegrate into society.

“We have consistently said that the parents of these children made a terrible decision to take these children or have children in these camps or war zones,” said Gallagher.

“They are Australian citizens, they are entitled to Australian citizenship.

“We need to make sure they are supported and managed appropriately.”

A group of supporters surround a family linked to Islamic State as they arrive at Melbourne airport on May 7. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Mr Gallagher said the government “will spend what we need to keep Australians safe”. (Alex Ellinghausen)

Victorian Liberal MP Jason Wood claimed the exorbitant annual costs are spent on ongoing surveillance, with some returning citizens requiring at least two officers.

Coalition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam previously criticized the Labor government for failing to stop the Islamic-linked group from arriving on Australian soil.

“Australian taxpayers who cannot pay their own bills will not be happy with people who have joined a terrorist organization supporting those who commit crimes under that organization’s banner and receive welfare benefits,” he said.

Dozens of ISIS fighters and their brides have returned to Australia since 2013.

Since 2014, government plans have been in place to manage returning citizens.

A cohort of thirteen ISIS brides and their children will return to Australia, including the three women now facing criminal charges.

Police arrive at Sydney airport ahead of the arrival of so-called “ISIS brides”. (Nine)

Three ISIS brides arrested and charged

Two ISIS brides arrested after arriving in Melbourne yesterday have been charged with slavery crimes allegedly committed during their time in Syria.

The two women, grandmother Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her daughter Zeinab, 31, were taken into custody by federal police last night when they landed at Melbourne International Airport.

Abbas has now been charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, including owning and using a slave, and Zeinab has been charged with two counts of crimes against humanity.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will allege in court that Abbas traveled to Syria with her husband and children in 2014 and was complicit in the purchase of a slave woman for $10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in her home.

Janai Safar was arrested after landing in Sydney from Syria. (Nine)

Officers will allege that 31-year-old Zeinab traveled to Syria with her family in 2014 and knowingly kept a slave in her home.

Each of the charges carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.

The charges come after a third ISIS bride, 32-year-old Janai Safar, was arrested after landing in Sydney from Syria.

Safar has been charged with entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone and joining ISIS.

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