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Former prime minister Tony Abbott has joined One Nation’s Pauline Hanson in criticising the head of ASIO for denying any link between terrorism, refugee status and Islam.

Hanson, conservative commentator Andrew Bolt and others took exception to ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis’ comments at Senate estimates last week that there is “absolutely no evidence to suggest there is a connection between refugees and terrorism”. Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham yesterday, Abbott said Lewis “really needs to think again on this issue,” saying he doesn’t “think public officials help the debate by denying the facts”.

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Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper