Senator Probes Whether Returned ‘ISIS Brides’ Eligible for Taxpayer-Backed Welfare

‘Some refugees from Syria, for instance, depending on the visa class that they’re issued ... may be eligible for special benefit payments,’ says one official.

A man walks into a Medicare and Centrelink office at Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia, on March 21, 2016. Matt King/Getty Images

South Australian Senator Kerrynne Liddle has questioned a social security official over the potential welfare cost to taxpayers for returning “ISIS brides” and their children.

During a Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee hearing on Oct. 10, Liddle probed Matt Flavel, deputy secretary of social security, on what payments the women and children could be eligible for in Australia.