Appearing with sitting MP Luke Simpkins on Wednesday, the Justice Minister said Dr Aly's "letter of support" for radical preacher Junaid Thorne, written when she was the founding chair of the government-funded body People Against Violent Extremism, "shows pretty poor judgement quite frankly", The West Australian reported. Aly is the first female Muslim MP in Federal Parliament. Credit:Gavin Blue Photography "That was specifically a letter of support made to the court specifically when it was going through the sentencing process," he said when asked if he thought she sought a lighter sentence for the pair. "That was the whole purpose of her writing that letter of support," which reportedly suggested Thorne and co-accused Mostafa Shiddiquzzman​ as candidates for a deradicalisation program. Dr Aly's initiatives, like PAVE, have received funding from the government, including Mr Keenan's department. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelled the criticisms a "desperate smear" on an "outstanding Australian" and suggested Mr Keenan, who is also the minister responsible for counter-terrorism, might be jealous of Dr Aly's global reputation.

"I think it is a desperate smear but I'm not going to repeat the allegations – that's exactly what the attack dogs of the Liberals want me to do. Let me just say some positive things about Dr Anne Aly," he said on Thursday morning. Justice Minister Michael Keenan will inform a summit on the work Australia is doing to improve its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. Credit:Justin McManus "She's a migrant girl who's come across here and done very well for herself. She's a respected researcher and leader in counter-radicalisation. I suggest that I would be more likely, you'd be more likely to go to Anne Aly than you would be to go to Michael Keenan [on] how to deradicalise at-risk youth." Mr Shorten called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who earlier said he hadn't heard about the minister's comments, to direct the Coalition to "back off". Dr Aly labelled Mr Keenan's comments bizarre, opportunistic and despicable and said she was approached by the defendants' lawyer, who suggested them as candidates for a government-supported intervention and reintegration program.

"I think it debases the whole election and debases his role as the minister. I've worked with the A-G's department and the department that Michael Keenan runs as well. We have done, and been funded by, both those departments to do work under my NGO," she told ABC. "We've had a very good working relationship and it's just been oddly bizarre that at this point in the election a backflip has been made and these accusations come out." Dr Aly, an associate professor at Curtin University's Department of Social Science and International Studies, was invited to speak at President Obama's countering violent extremism summit last year. Since the sentencing of Thorne and Shiddiquzzman, she has been invited to the Safeguarding Australia national security conference and done work with the United Nations and police. She said she had received government funding after the court case. When Mr Keenan was being interviewed by Geoff Hutchison on ABC Radio on Thursday, he doubled down and said Dr Aly supported a known hate preacher but declined to debate her when she called into the station.