Australian authorities are preparing for the return of more women and children from former Islamic State caliphates in the Middle East.
Two women and four children who are Australian citizens have returned to Australia after managing to smuggle themselves out of Syria to Lebanon, where they were issued Australian passports after passing security checks.
The women who had travelled or were taken to Syria to become partners of ISIS members, and their children, had been living in refugee camps in Syria after the collapse of the terrorist group.
It has stirred up a political storm for the Albanese government as the opposition criticises the return of so-called “ISIS brides”, saying it had been kept secret from the public amid community safety concerns.
The federal government says they arrived on their own volition and were not assisted or repatriated by Australian authorities.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said authorities were preparing for the arrival of more people under similar circumstances, but would not confirm how many due to possible fluctuations.
Mr Nutt also refused to confirm the location of the six people, saying there were ongoing investigations following their return.
The investigations were part of the federal police’s management of “Australians of counter terrorism interest offshore”, he told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, without detailing specifics.
“I can assure you that we have appropriate investigations, criminal investigations underway in relation to those who require criminal investigation as part of an Australian cohort offshore and their return,” he said.
Stressing he wasn’t making a specific reference to the group, Mr Nutt said the broad remit of investigations for people in a conflict zone could include criminal offences relating to terrorism, foreign incursion and crimes against humanity.
Officials from the Home Affairs Department confirmed they were aware of the six people wanting to return from June, months before they arrived in Australia on September 26.
The department’s national security head said it hadn’t sought a temporary exclusion order, which can prohibit a citizen from temporarily re-entering Australia if they’re deemed a security risk based on a counter terrorism assessment.
The risk was being managed and appropriate measures were put in place ahead of their arrival, he said.
“The advice from operational agencies is that a temporary exclusion order was not required and our judgement about the legal threshold for which the temporary exclusion order would apply was not met,” Hamish Hansford told the hearing.
Commissioner Krissy Barrett added: “I do want to provide assurance and confidence that the AFP remains appropriately prepared and positioned to respond to any self-managed returns from the internally displaced persons camps”.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke categorically denied the government was resettling any of the cohort amid community concerns, saying “when Australian citizens seek to return to Australia, they are able to do so”.
Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster confirmed Labor had repatriated four women and 13 children in 2022 and the former coalition government had repatriated eight unaccompanied minors in 2019.
Mr Burke said there had “also been repeated occasions where people have returned of their own volition”.
The minister added that “while the discussion has been about women and children who have recently returned”, 40 people returned on their own accord under the former Liberal government.
This included people who fought for the Islamic State, provided support for the designated terrorist group or joined other Islamic extremist groups, he said.
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