Home Affairs confirms six people linked to ISIS fighters are back on Australian soil

Two Australian women who ran off to join the Islamic State quietly slipped back into the country with their children in September — and the Government has admitted knowing of the plans for months.

After government officials dodged the question on Tuesday, Home Affairs has confirmed the women, known as ISIS brides, are back on Australian soil.

Department secretary Stephanie Foster has told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that six individuals — two women and four children — returned home on September 26.

The women, known as “ISIS brides”, had smuggled themselves and their children out of Syria following the Islamist group’s collapse.

Assistant AFP Commissioner Stephen Nutt also confirmed his organisation was conducting an investigation related to managing counter-terrorism, involving other Commonwealth bodies, ASIO and state and territory police.

“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.

Senior bureaucrats told Wednesday’s hearing that Home Affairs was informed in “early June” that the group had the intention to return to Australia.

The Home Affairs Secretary added that she had informed Home Affairs minister Tony Burke at the time.

Ms Foster said their return had been “personally arranged travel” and that Home Affairs didn’t play a role in coordinating repatriation.

“My understanding is that that was ‘personally arranged travel’ which we had no role in facilitating,” she said.

She also failed to directly answer several Liberal Senator James Paterson about the government’s monitoring and management of the women and their children, referring him to “operational agencies who are responsible for any ongoing activity or management of a returning cohort of this nature”.

Ms Foster also couldn’t provide basic details to questions about the cohort’s location, including which State or Territory police force would be involved in that ongoing management.

“Just because there’s not a repatriation. Doesn’t mean we don’t need coordination. These are people who left our country to join the terrorist organisation,” Senator Paterson said.

Late on Wednesday evening Federal Police confirmed they were also anticipating for more citizens to return to Australia in the future.

“We are always preparing, we are always positioned and prepared for any self managed returns from that region,” AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett told the committee.

It comes after Foreign Minister Penny Wong dodged questions about the cohort in another estimates hearing on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had also refused to provide details about the cohort when asked about media reporting during Question Time in September.

The PM had claimed an article by The Australian about a top-secret operation to return the group before Christmas was inaccurate.

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil also would not concede that ISIS brides had returned to the country in an interview on Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday.

“I’m not. I’m not confirming anything that isn’t already on the public record,” she said.

“I’ll let the Foreign Minister and the Home Affairs Minister speak to any further details about this … What I can tell you is that no repatriation assistance has been provided.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has accused the Albanese Government of a “cover-up”.

Mr Burke told parliamentary Question Time on Wednesday that while the government didn’t lead repatriation efforts, he said Australian security agencies “are constantly engaged”.

“First of all, as the Prime Minister has made clear, there has been no repatriation. The Government is not involved in settling people,” Mr Burke said.

“What we have is a situation where we have a number of Australian citizens who made a terrible decision, an absolutely dreadful decision, to go off and join and, you know, join others who were involved in what has been described as some of the most — one of the most horrific organisations that the world has seen.

“Our security agencies are constantly engaged. And every conversation that you would expect the Minister of Home Affairs would have with those security intelligence agencies about making sure that Australians are safe — you are guaranteed is happening.

“Our agencies are working with the full professionalism you would expect.”

He added that it wasn’t the first time citizens linked to terror groups have returned, referring to 40 people who settled back in Australia under the former Coalition government.