Scott Morrison says he is willing to meet the distraught Sydney parents of four young men suspected of having slipped into Syria last week to fight under the Islamic State banner.
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The Immigration Minister reached out to the family after revealing four brothers from south-west Sydney, aged 17 to 28, had fled Australia last Saturday and crossed into Syria via Turkey to join the terrorist organisation.
"I've been engaging with the family through an intermediary and should there be an opportunity to engage directly with the family, I or others would take that opportunity," he said.
The men told their parents they were travelling to Thailand on a holiday. Mr Morrison said they were "cleanskins" to authorities, with no black marks against their names to rouse suspicions.
Last Thursday, Australian Federal Police commissioner Neil Gaughan told a parliamentary committee that some people who had travelled to Syria were "not on anyone's radar".
Mr Morrison said the siblings, aged 17, 23, 25 and 28, could be killed in the conflict, in which Australian troops are involved.
"Many young men in these communities are the first victims of the ISIS death cult. They are the ones who have been indoctrinated and taken away," he said.
He urged the public to call the national hotline,1800 123 400, to report someone suspected of planning terrorist activities.
"I know it requires a lot of courage for people in the communities to stand up against this, I know they face intimidation and threats from thugs and bullies," he said.
He also used the revelations to promote the new Foreign Fighters Bill, saying the laws could prevent other young locals becoming foreign fighters.
"We need the next generation laws to defeat next-generation terrorists, and these next-generation terrorists are recruiting young, cleanskin Australians to do harm not only overseas – but there's great risk they seek to do it here as well."
