Australia’s Family First party has called on the federal government to consider banning the Muslim Brotherhood and to ask security agencies to assess whether the movement or any organisations linked to it meet Australia’s legal thresholds for action.
Lyle Shelton, Family First’s national director and a candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Council, made the call in a media release published on 18 September. He said the party was backing comments by British historian Andrew Roberts, Lord Roberts of Belgravia, during the Centre for Independent Studies’ annual gala dinner in Sydney.
Family First said Roberts’ address had prompted renewed calls for Australian authorities to examine the Brotherhood and its alleged networks in the country.
Shelton said the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and other relevant agencies should consider whether the organisation and any connected bodies meet the criteria set out in Australian law. He referred to the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the Bondi Beach attack when arguing for a review.
The Bondi Beach attack killed 15 people and injured more than 40, according to Australian Associated Press reporting.
According to the Family First release, Roberts urged the government to take action against the Muslim Brotherhood and what he described as associated companies, charities, non-governmental organisations and media outlets. The release attributed to Roberts the view that the Brotherhood is the world’s largest jihadist organisation.
The party also said Roberts called for stronger action against extremist propaganda, increased scrutiny of overseas influence and funding, tougher responses to incitement to violence, support for moderate Muslim voices and closer examination of Islamic-school curricula.
Australian actions coincided with U.S. measures targeting individuals and entities linked, according to U.S. authorities, to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In January 2026, the United States announced the designation of the group’s branches in Egypt and Jordan on its sanctions lists, before taking additional steps in July of the same year against individuals and entities it said were connected to networks tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and the financing of Hamas.
In Australia, the current calls remain strictly within the realm of political demands and inquiries into the feasibility of a ban, and do not reflect an official Australian government decision to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood.
