Australian authorities are preparing for the return of more women and children from former Islamic State caliphates in the Middle East, but the prime minister says they are not coming back with his government's support.
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 IS 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 Anthony Albanese's 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.
Coalition leader Sussan Ley made the issue a key focus during question time on Thursday, asking why the prime minister said the government was not providing assistance to the group despite confirmation it had helped with passports, medical interviews and DNA tests.
"Everything that was just described as 'assistance' by the leader of the opposition would have been an offence for the government to not do," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said, after being directed by Mr Albanese to answer a question asked of him.
"These individuals received what they were entitled to by law. No more and no less."
Another question later directed at Mr Albanese about how many more women would return and where they would live was later brushed off.
"The assumptions in the question are wrong because the assumptions suggest that they're coming back to Australia with our support, which they are not," the prime minister said.
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.
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 Hamish Hansford 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.
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.
Under the formal Liberal government, 40 people returned of their own accord.
This included people who fought for IS, provided support for the designated terrorist group or joined other Islamic extremist groups, Mr Burke said.
