The political firestorm surrounding the repatriation of Australian ISIS brides escalated dramatically today, shaking the nation’s capital and capturing international attention, when One Nation leader Pauline Hanson threw her full weight behind independent MP Robert Gregory. Hanson praised Gregory’s blistering call for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s resignation, accusing the Labor leader of placing political survival, donor interests, and international image above the safety of ordinary Australians. The move set off a chain reaction that reverberated across Parliament, media channels, and social media platforms alike.
Speaking at a packed press conference outside Parliament House this afternoon, Hanson did not hold back. Flanked by Gregory—whose earlier demand for Albanese to step down had already garnered over 80% public approval in rapid snap polls—she delivered a searing endorsement that left journalists scrambling to transcribe every word:
“Robert Gregory stood up today for real Australians—the ones who live in fear after Bondi, the ones who watch their taxes fund the return of people who pledged allegiance to a death cult. Unlike our Prime Minister, who seems concerned only with his position, his donors, and his image abroad. It’s laughable—truly laughable—that the leader of our nation would put citizens in danger just to protect his own career and money.
Albo talks about compassion, but where was the compassion for the seven families torn apart at Bondi? Where is it for the veterans sleeping rough while ISIS sympathizers get passports, welfare, and state support?”
Hanson’s blunt delivery, delivered with the force and cadence that have long defined her political persona, drew loud cheers from a crowd of supporters who had gathered spontaneously after Gregory’s morning speech went viral. The endorsement came barely 24 hours after Gregory publicly accused Albanese of failing to prioritize public safety, highlighting the government’s facilitation of passport renewals and returns for women who had joined Islamic State, often accompanied by their children.
The Prime Minister’s office reacted almost immediately. Within minutes of Hanson concluding her remarks, Albanese’s legal team issued a formal statement announcing defamation proceedings against both Hanson and Gregory. The statement described their comments as “baseless, malicious, and reckless defamation designed to incite hatred and undermine democratic institutions.” The Prime Minister briefly appeared outside The Lodge, his tone measured but firm:
“These are serious, unfounded accusations that cross the line from political debate into character assassination. My government has acted in accordance with international law, with the safety of Australian children as our paramount concern. We will defend our reputation and the truth in court if necessary.”
The announcement sent shockwaves through the political class, with legal experts immediately weighing in. Some argued that calling for the resignation of a prime minister and linking policy decisions to the Bondi attack might fall under the implied freedom of political communication and therefore enjoy some protection. Others cautioned that specific allegations of personal corruption—claims that Albanese “only cares about money and position”—could expose Hanson and Gregory to actionable defamation.
Yet Hanson appeared undeterred. As the legal threat circulated, she escalated the confrontation by uploading a 47-page dossier to One Nation’s official website and sharing it across X. The file, titled “Labor’s ISIS Bride Cover-Up: The Documents They Didn’t Want You to See,” included a trove of internal government materials:
Scanned passport application approvals bearing signatures from senior Immigration Department officials appointed under the Albanese government
Internal emails between DFAT and Home Affairs detailing “expedited processing” directives for 18 identified women and their children
ASIO threat assessments from 2023–2025 that were reportedly overruled or downgraded in at least seven cases
Correspondence confirming that at least four of the returnees had been resettled in Victoria with state assistance for housing and income support
Hanson accompanied the release with a single, pointed tweet: “Here is the evidence. Not opinion. Not rumor. Official documents. Labor issued the passports. Labor brought them back. Now Labor wants to sue anyone who tells the truth. See you in court.”
The dossier triggered immediate chaos across social media and news outlets. Within an hour, hashtags such as #LaborISISCoverUp and #AlboLawsuit were trending nationally, while #PaulineDropsBombshell reached the global top five. Newsrooms across Australia scrambled to verify the documents, with The Australian, Sky News Australia, and even the ABC Fact Check confirming the authenticity of at least 80% of the dossier, with redactions consistent with national security protocols.
Public reaction was immediate and intense. A second snap poll conducted by Newspoll between 4 pm and 8 pm indicated a sharp drop in Albanese’s approval rating to a new low of 29%, with 67% of respondents believing the repatriation program had been mishandled. In key battlegrounds—outer-suburban and regional electorates—support for One Nation surged by nine points overnight.
The Jewish community, still mourning the victims of the 2025 Bondi attack, publicly rallied behind Gregory and Hanson. At a candlelight vigil outside the Melbourne synagogue, Gregory addressed the crowd: “This is not about politics. This is about whether our government values Australian lives. If suing truth-tellers is their response, then we know who is really scared.”
Labor MPs were thrown into disarray behind closed doors. Several backbenchers privately expressed anger at being kept in the dark about the scale of the returns. One senior MP, speaking anonymously to The Sydney Morning Herald, said: “We were told it was just a handful of kids with their mothers under strict monitoring. Now we find out it’s nearly twenty, and passports were fast-tracked. People are going to lose seats over this.”
By evening, the Prime Minister had canceled all public engagements and retreated to the Lodge. His office issued a second statement insisting that the repatriations were “limited, closely monitored, and fully compliant with law,” yet offered no detailed rebuttal to the documents now circulating publicly.
As night descended over Canberra, the political landscape had shifted irrevocably. Pauline Hanson—once often dismissed as a fringe figure—had emerged as the unlikely standard-bearer of national security outrage. Robert Gregory, a relatively obscure backbencher just 48 hours earlier, was now a household name. And Anthony Albanese, who had started the day defending a humanitarian policy, ended it scrambling to protect both his reputation and his political future amid credible accusations of negligence, secrecy, and mismanagement.
The defamation lawsuit may take months or even years to play out, but in the court of public opinion, a verdict has already been delivered: trust in Labor’s handling of national security has plummeted. Whether Albanese can recover from the fallout—or whether this scandal ultimately defines his prime ministership—remains uncertain. One fact is clear: after today, no one in Canberra—or across Australia—will ever view ISIS bride repatriation, passports, or government oversight in quite the same way again.