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Terrorists to lose Aus citizenship: PM

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed people who fight with terrorist groups or are convicted of terrorism offences will be stripped of citizenship.

The legislation will be introduced to parliament “first thing” on Wednesday morning by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

Mr Abbott says his government will update section 35 of the Citizenship Act to reflect modern conditions where people might fight with a terrorist groups, not just a foreign army.

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Dual citizens convicted of terror offences will also automatically be stripped of their citizenship.

“So as far as is humanly possible, the forfeiture of citizenship by terrorists who are dual nationals happens automatically by action of law,” Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra.

Mr Abbott said the range of offences that would attract the new penalty would be set out in the bill.

“If someone is convicted of one or more of those offences, well, then their citizenship … will be forfeited,” he told reporters in Canberra.

The children of those who lose their citizenship will also lose theirs to ensure it is enforced with “full rigour”.

There would be two broad circumstances under which people would forfeit citizenship – renunciation by conduct or revocation by conviction.

This comes as reports emerged on Tuesday that Australia’s most infamous terrorists, Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar, had been killed while fighting with Islamic State in Iraq.

The Federal Government is working to confirm the reports.

Mr Abbott said the government would ask the joint houses committee on intelligence and security to consider whether the laws should be made retrospective.

The Opposition will also be formally briefed on the changes.

As drafted, they are only prospective.

“But given that we have a number of dual citizens currently in jail after terrorist convictions, the committee should consider whether it should have retrospective operation at least in those cases,” he said.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the opposition supported the principle of having the “best legal tools” to back up the work of intelligence agencies.

“It is also important that we support our communities and minorities in our community with deradicalisation,” he told reporters.

Mr Abbott said there was a question of what to do about the 50 per cent or so of those Australians known to be fighting overseas with terrorist groups, but who were not dual citizens.

The government would announce further legislation on the matter following a consultation process.

“As Australians, we will never, ever, sacrifice our freedoms, but we will defend them – that’s what this legislation is all about,” Mr Abbott said.

– with AAP

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