Australia's political leaders have gone to war over foreign fighters, accusing each other of siding with terrorists.
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As they trade blows in the ugly stoush, advocates are urging politicians to ensure children are not caught in the crossfire.
The Morrison government wants to slap temporary exclusion orders on extremists with dual citizenship, keeping them out of the country for at least two years.
Labor supports the powers in principle, but is concerned about how the legislation is drafted.
The government has leapt on its reticence to wave through the national security bill.
"The Labor Party needs to decide which side they're on," cabinet minister Mathias Cormann told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"The Australian government, we are on the side of keeping Australians safe."
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese accused the government of thumbing its nose at parliament's powerful security and intelligence committee, which is dominated by Liberal members.
In an unusual break from tradition, the coalition has rejected several recommendations from the bipartisan committee.
"Does the prime minister doubt which side people are on when they support the unanimous position of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security?" Mr Albanese told parliament.
In turn, the prime minister accused Labor members of the committee of trying to weaken the legislation.
"It has always been those who sit on this side of the house have always brought the stronger position," Scott Morrison said, prompting an angry response from across the chamber.
"It is always going to be the action of my government to ensure that where those matters are watered down, we will always seek to remedy it, and always keep Australia strong."
Paul Ronalds, CEO of aid agency Save the Children, is urging all sides of the debate to ensure kids are not punished for the actions of their parents.
"Any bill of this nature must be explicit in making sure the best interests of children are upheld ... anything less is unacceptable," he said.
"Too often we see children being caught up in conflicts they know little about yet being treated as if they have done something wrong."
The opposition is concerned the bill would give Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton too much power to issue exclusions, rather than orders being made by a judge.
As the laws are now drafted, the home affairs minister would issue the order and it could be appealed to a judge.
Labor is also concerned the minister could unreasonably delay the return of somebody beyond the two-year period, which could be unconstitutional.
"We've been working cooperatively with the government through the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security," Labor defence spokesman Richard Marles said.
"This is complex legislation and it needs to be done in a way which is lawful, in the sense that it needs to be able to survive High Court challenges."
Australian Associated Press
