CANBERRA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government is considering beefing up anti-terror laws aimed at stopping dual-national foreign fighters from returning to Australia, the nation's Immigration Minister said on Friday.
Local media reported that Immigration Minister Peter Dutton had been briefed that hundreds of foreign fighters could expose loopholes in anti-terror legislation introduced last year.
Under Australian law, dual-national foreign fighters who return to Australia can have their citizenship scrapped; however, the government will need proof the fighters hold a second passport, requiring the cooperation from countries such as Iraq and Syria - something which has been hard to come by.
It was also revealed the laws are not retrospective, meaning those who fought in the Middle East before May 2016 would be allowed back into the country.
So far, just one dual-national foreign fighter has had his Australian passport torn up, and Dutton told Macquarie radio the government was considering strengthening the laws to close any potential loopholes.
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