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 chose 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 had not applied for the order because it was unable to satisfy the legal threshold needed for it to be granted.
Instead, the Australian Federal Police successfully sought an interim control order that imposes restrictions on El Matari following his release.
Mr Taylor argued the interim order was inadequate because it would not prevent El Matari from leaving prison.
“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 of terrorism offences connected to plans to establish an Islamic State base in the Blue Mountains.
The court heard he had discussed potential attacks on Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral and the US Embassy, as well as plans to travel to Afghanistan to fight with ISIS militants.
Convicted terrorist Isaac El Matari (pictured) was due to be released from prison on Sunday
Sentencing evidence also revealed that El Matari had previously been imprisoned in Lebanon after trying to join the terrorist organisation.
His arrest in 2019 came as part of 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 terrorism suspects were connected through street-preaching activities in western Sydney.
Akram appeared in a 2019 street-preaching video associated with the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown, which has links to Mr Haddad.
Mr Haddad has denied any personal involvement with Akram. The centre has also rejected claims that it was connected to the accused Bondi attacker, and no such connection is being suggested.
Mr Taylor accused the government of failing to take every available measure to protect the community.
“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 threshold required to secure 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 labelled the release ‘extraordinary’ and said the government had failed to explain why it had not pursued a detention order through the courts.
‘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.’
Asked why no action was taken before El Matari’s scheduled release date, Taylor said the government had had every 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 in western Sydney.
He later pleaded guilty to preparing for a terrorist act and planning to enter a foreign country to engage in hostile activity.
Taylor (pictured) accused the government of not doing enough to keep El Matari in prison
He was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison, with a non-parole period of five years and six months.
Dakkak was subsequently placed on an interim control order after his release and later re-arrested for breaching its conditions.
The order barred him from contacting El Matari and several figures associated with the Bankstown Dawah movement, including Haddad.
When questioned in Parliament last week, Burke acknowledged the seriousness of El Matari’s conduct.
‘We are talking about someone who has engaged in views and planning that is beyond contempt,’ he told the House.
However, Taylor maintained that the interim control order was inadequate because it would 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 release of convicted terrorist Isaac El Matari from prison, insisting authorities are using all available legal powers to protect the community.
Home Affairs did not disclose conditions of the release and monitoring of El Matari (pictured)
In a statement to Daily Mail on Sunday a Home Affairs Departmental spokesperson said community safety remained the government’s highest priority and stressed that security agencies were continuing to monitor 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 working together to manage any threats to public safety.
‘Our agencies are constantly working together to keep the community safe,’ the spokesperson said.
The government declined to provide details about the specific arrangements in place for El Matari, 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 formed part of a broader framework used to manage convicted terrorists after their release from 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.