Australia's domestic intelligence chief hasn't convinced One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson she's wrong about links between Middle East refugees and terrorism.
But Duncan Lewis has the backing of the federal government, the Labor opposition and the federal police commissioner for a comment that has riled conservative commentators and some coalition MPs.
Mr Lewis, in answer to a question from Senator Hanson during a parliamentary hearing last week, said he had "absolutely no evidence to suggest there is a connection between refugees and terrorism".
On Wednesday the ASIO chief modified his position to say: "The refugee program is not the source of terrorism in Australia."
Tens of thousands of refugees had come to Australia over the past decade or so and "a very few of them" had become subjects of interest to ASIO or been involved in terrorist planning.
"I'm not denying that," Mr Lewis said.
"I've not said that there are no terrorists who have not been refugees or not being the sons or daughters of refugees born in this country."
The reason they were terrorists was down to the violent extremist interpretation of Sunni Islam they adopted.
He conceded 11 of the 12 thwarted terror incidents in Australia since December 2014 involved Muslims.
Senator Hanson in a tweet said: "ASIO boss Duncan Lewis has been forced to clarify his misleading answer to my question about Middle Eastern refugees. Good!
"I never asked Mr Lewis about the refugee program. I asked about threats possibly being brought in with refugees from the Middle East."
Mr Lewis said he had no intention of being contemptuous of Senator Hanson, as some commentators had suggested.
"The point I was making was we need to stick to the facts with this particular argument," he said.
Attorney-General George Brandis is standing by Mr Lewis, arguing the ASIO chief was asked about Middle Eastern refugees coming to Australia and bringing the threat of terrorism.
Labor is also supporting Mr Lewis, saying he had "called it as it is".
"Radical Islam is the driver in respect of terrorism that we have seen - that's where people need to focus," opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles said.
Australian Federal Police Commssioner Andrew Colvin in calling for a more nuanced debate on the issue said he could not draw a "direct cause and effect" between migration and terrorism.
"What I can tell you, the majority of person of interests that come across my officers' desks, are first and second generation Australians," he told the National Press Club.
"Yes, they may be from migrant families but that's an extremely broad brush to paint in our landscape if that's the lens we're looking through. I think we have to be careful to draw absolutes in this discussion."
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