Islamic State: Australian IS fighters negotiate with Government over return, page-64

Former senior MI6 chief Richard Barrett, explained last year that disillusioned returning jihadis were likely to be most successful at "undermining the terrorism narrative". As long as they were "committed to a non-violent future", Barrett said.

"These are the people who can expose the true nature of the Islamic State and its leadership. Their stories of brutality and the motives behind it will be far more credible and persuasive than the rhetoric of men in suits."

In other countries, the focus is on deradicalisation of returning fighters, not punishment, to ensure they can successfully reintegrate into Western societies and serve as examples to discourage potential recruits. The Abbott government's focus, it appears, is on deterring them from returning at all with threats of spending a quarter of a century in prison.

The result may well be that not merely are we stimulating terrorism recruitment, but encouraging terrorism retention as well. That would indeed make for a novel Australian variant of the self-perpetuating War on Terror.