The first group of Australian women and children held in a detention camp in north-east Syria since the fall of the Islamic State (IS) group in 2019 has been successfully repatriated.
The four women and 13 children arrived at the Sydney International Airport this morning.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the repatriation was informed by national security advice, considering "the range of security, community and welfare factors in making the decision to repatriate".
"The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies," she said in a statement.
"Allegations of unlawful activity will continue to be investigated by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprised of the Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission. Any identified offences may lead to law enforcement action being taken.
"The New South Wales government is providing extensive support services to assist these women and their children with reintegration alongside law enforcement engagement with these families."
Ms O'Neil said the repatriation followed similar moves by other countries, including the US, the Netherlands and the UK, and by the former Morrison government in 2019, involving a group of eight orphaned children.
The Prime Minister said all national security advice had been followed.
"Australia will make sure of two things, one that the Australian government will always work to make sure people will be kept safe here in Australia, that is our priority," Anthony Albanese said.
"Secondly that we follow the national security advice and will undertake every action as a result of not just accepting that advice but implementing that advice as well."
The group left the Roj detention camp in Syria on Thursday afternoon and made the 30 kilometre trip to the Iraq border before boarding a plane home.
Government and Kurdish sources said those extracted from the camp were:
- Mariam Dabboussy and her three children
- Mariam Raad and her four children
- Shayma Assad and her four children
- Shayma's mother Bassima Assad and her two children
The women and children are the families of IS fighters, and many say they were forced or tricked into travelling into Syria.
There are about 40 Australian women and children still in the camps in north-east Syria, expected to be repatriated in coming months.
Senior Australian diplomat Marc Innes-Brown said in a video statement from the North Syrian autonomous region thanking the Kurdish administration for keeping the women safe during their time in the camp.
"The communication has been excellent and the facilitation arrangements have been careful and smooth," he said.
"The Australian government remains deeply concerned about the conflict in Syria and urges parties to find a political solution."
Save the Children, which has been advocating for the families' return, has welcomed the news, saying the Australian government had upheld "its moral obligation and international legal requirement to bring these children home, along with four women from the squalid camps".
"These children can now leave the horrors of war behind them, focus on recovery from their ordeal and look forward to a childhood free from fear and violence at home in Australia," CEO Mat Tinkler said.
"While today we celebrate their arrival home, we know there are still over 30 Australian children stuck in camps in north-east Syria. We urge the government to repatriate them without further delay. We will not rest until every Australian child is brought home.
"For those children who are returning to Australia, they will now face a long road ahead to recover from any traumatic experiences and reintegrate into society. For the repatriated women, this process may also include facing Australia's judicial system, in cases where there is evidence that any crimes have been committed."
The United Nations earlier this year warned the Commonwealth that the women and children were enduring conditions akin to torture.
