Hodan Abby Granted Return Permit After Two-Year Exclusion Order

Hodan Abby has been granted a return permit that ends her two-year temporary exclusion from Australia, Abc reported. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated on 25 June 2026 that the government received final advice the previous day showing an exclusion condition was no longer available.

Abby was issued the temporary exclusion order in February 2026 on ASIO advice that she posed a security risk, at the same time she and 33 other Australian women and children held in Syria's al-Roj camp sought to return.

The order, introduced under the former Morrison government, blocks re-entry for up to two years unless a permit is granted and allows the minister to extend the ban by an additional 12 months. The government chose not to exercise that extension option.

Burke said Abby is now free to return when she chooses, provided she can leave Syria, and will face strict surveillance conditions that include requiring permission to use a phone or the internet.

Australian National University professor Donald Rothwell told Abc that extending the order could have prompted a High Court challenge on constitutional grounds, given prior rulings against indefinite detention in 2023 and a compensation decision last month.

Former home affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo described the orders as a temporary management tool rather than indefinite banishment. Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jono Duniam said the outcome showed counterterrorism laws were weak and offered to work with the government on stronger measures.