Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has condemned the Albanese government over the release of convicted Islamic State terrorist Isaac El Matari, who has been linked to alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram.
El Matari was scheduled to leave Macquarie Correctional Centre on Sunday after the Department of Home Affairs decided not to seek a Continuing Detention Order. Such an order could have kept him detained for up to a further five years.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government did not apply for the order because it could not satisfy the legal threshold needed for the court to grant one.
Instead, the Australian Federal Police successfully sought an interim control order imposing restrictions on El Matari after his release.
Mr Taylor argued that the interim order was insufficient because it did not allow authorities to keep El Matari behind bars.
“That’s not good enough,” he said, insisting Mr Burke “needed to act”.
El Matari, who is from Greenacre in Sydney’s west, was convicted in 2021 over terrorism offences involving plans to establish an Islamic State base in the Blue Mountains.
The court heard that he had discussed potential attacks on St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and the US Embassy, and intended to travel to Afghanistan to fight alongside ISIS militants.
Convicted terrorist Isaac El Matari (pictured) was due to leave prison on Sunday
Sentencing evidence showed that El Matari had previously been imprisoned in Lebanon after trying to join the terrorist organisation.
His 2019 arrest followed a counter-terrorism investigation that also brought Naveed Akram to the attention of authorities.
Akram has since been accused in connection with the Bondi attack.
Authorities have linked El Matari to a network of Islamist extremists associated with Sydney’s Street Dawah movement and controversial preacher Wissam Haddad.
Investigators alleged that a number of extremists and terror suspects were connected through street-preaching activities in western Sydney.
Akram featured in a 2019 street-preaching video associated with the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown, which has links to Haddad.
Haddad has denied any personal association with Akram. The centre has also rejected claims that it was connected to the accused Bondi attacker, and no such connection is suggested otherwise.
Taylor accused the government of failing to take every available step to protect the public.
“Tony Burke has not applied for a Continuing Detention Order to keep this guy under lock and key,” Opposition Leader Angus Taylor told 2GB.
Burke (pictured) said the government could not meet the legal threshold for a detention order
“He hasn’t taken the action he should to keep him off the streets, and we’re calling on Tony Burke to do that immediately.”
Taylor described the release as “extraordinary” and said ministers had failed to explain why they did not ask the courts for a detention order.
“This guy clearly is a risk to Australians in the way he has behaved in the past,” he said.
“Tony Burke should do his job, get a Continuing Detention Order, and put this guy behind lock and key.”
When asked why no further action had been taken before El Matari’s planned release, Taylor said the government had been given ample opportunity to intervene.
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“You’d apply for a Continuing Detention Order and say this guy is a threat to Australia and Australians and should be under lock and key, but Tony Burke can’t bring himself to do it,” he said.
“I have got to tell you, I just do not understand Tony Burke’s motives on this.”
El Matari was arrested in 2019 alongside Sydney man Radwan Dakkak during a series of counter-terrorism raids across western Sydney.
He later pleaded guilty to preparing for a terrorist act and planning to travel to a foreign country to take part in hostile activity.
Taylor (pictured) accused the government of failing to do enough to keep El Matari behind bars
He received a sentence of seven years and four months, including a non-parole period of five years and six months.
Dakkak was placed on an interim control order after his release and was later arrested again for allegedly breaching its conditions.
The order prevented him from contacting El Matari or several people linked to the Bankstown Dawah movement, including Haddad.
Asked about El Matari’s case in Parliament last week, Burke acknowledged the seriousness of his conduct.
“We are talking about someone who has engaged in views and planning that is beyond contempt,” he told the House.
Taylor nevertheless argued that the interim control order was inadequate because it did not keep El Matari in prison.
“The Minister needs to act, and if the Minister is not prepared to act, the Prime Minister needs to step in and tell him to,” he said.
The Albanese government has defended the decision to release convicted terrorist Isaac El Matari, saying authorities are using every legal power available to protect the community.
Home Affairs did not reveal the conditions governing El Matari’s release and monitoring
In a statement to Our News Outlet on Sunday, a Home Affairs Department spokesperson said community safety remained the government’s highest priority and that security agencies continued to assess the risk posed by convicted terrorist offenders.
“There is no higher priority for the Australian Government than protecting the community from harm, including the risk posed by convicted terrorist offenders,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said federal agencies were coordinating their efforts to manage threats to public safety.
“Our agencies are constantly working together to keep the community safe,” the spokesperson said.
The government declined to disclose the specific arrangements governing El Matari’s release, citing operational sensitivities.
“The Australian Government has full confidence in the work of our agencies but does not comment on operational matters.”
“On 29 October 2026, the Federal Court judge approved an interim control order in respect of Isaac El Matari.”
The government said control orders were part of a broader system for managing convicted terrorists after they leave custody.
“Continuing Detention Orders are one of a suite of measures available to manage terrorist offenders that includes control orders,” the spokesperson said.
“The Government takes the strongest action available under the law, based on expert advice and in consultation with the relevant operational and security agencies,” the spokesperson said.
