February 26, 2025
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been urged to block the return of Australians suspected of travelling to slain terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton compared mourning the Hezbollah chief as akin to “attending the funeral of Adolf Hitler”.
Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson called for action to be taken against citizens or Australian visa holders who travelled to Lebanon for the funeral of Nasrallah, who headed the listed terrorist organisation until his death in an Israeli air strike in September.
It’s understood security agencies are now set to investigate Australians who travelled to the funeral, as first revealed by Sky News’ Sharri Markson.
Mr Paterson said Mr Burke’s powers could be used to temporarily block returning Australians who went to the funeral, which attracted tens of thousands of mourners to a sporting stadium within Hezbollah’s suburban stronghold in southern Beirut.
“If the Nasrallah funeral attendees are Australian citizens Tony Burke can use a temporary exclusion order to prevent them returning to Australia while they are investigated for associating with a terrorist organisation,” he said.
“If they are visitors to our country this conduct clearly violates the character provisions of the Migration Act and their visas should be immediately cancelled to prevent their return.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Australians travelling overseas to attend the funeral was “deeply disturbing”.
“It’s like somebody attending the funeral of Adolf Hitler or somebody who had been responsible for (the) deaths of many people,” he said.
“A listed terrorist organisation, and a person who is the head of a terrorist organisation, is not something to be praised and not a person to be praised. If that is the case, then I suspect the authorities are having a very close look at who those people are.”
Mr Dutton said Australia risked being a “safe and secure country … if we’re providing a home to people who are causing harm or would seek to do harm to fellow Australians”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday left the door open to agencies undertaking investigations on attendees when quizzed on whether returning Australians should come under the scrutiny of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
“ASIO does its job and scrutinises intelligence issues on behalf of Australia,” he responded.
Hezbollah has been listed as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the Australian Government since 2021, with its military wing listed since 2003.
The issue of Australians travelling abroad to an event organised by a listed terrorist organisation was raised with ASIO director general Mike Burgess at Senate estimates, who confirmed the Home Affairs Minister had the power to temporarily prohibit an Australian citizen returning to the country, under advice from security agencies or law enforcement.
Mr Burke was contacted for comment, with a spokesman for Home Affairs saying the department does not comment on individuals, including travel movements.