Australian foreign fighters who want to return home could be blocked from entering the country for up to two years, under law changes introduced to federal parliament.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says more than 230 Australians had travelled to either Syria or Iraq to fight or support Islamic extremists since 2012, with a number trying to return home now that Islamic State's power is dwindling.
"The government is determined to deal with these people from as far away from our shores as is possible, to ensure that if they return, it is into the hands of authorities," Mr Dutton said as he introduced the bill to the lower house on Thursday.
A person could go to prison for up to two years for breaching a temporary exclusion order, he added.
Coalition forces have pushed IS jihadists out of their last holdfast in Syria. Source: AP
But the minister could revoke the exclusion order to then allow someone to enter Australia under a return permit.
The permit can include a range of conditions, including when and how the person enters the country.
They would also have to register where they live, work or study, and any plans to travel within Australia or abroad.
The proposed 12-month return permit could also include conditions around using technology.
If conditions on the return permit are breached, a person could go to jail for two years.
