In brief
- Another group of women and children is reportedly en route to Australia from a refugee camp in Syria.
- Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said they would face consequences if accused of any crimes.
A second group of Australian women and children with links to the self-described Islamic State (IS) group have reportedly left a refugee camp in Syria.
Federal minister Tanya Plibersek told the ABC on Friday they would "face the same consequences as the first group".
"If there are any crimes that they're accused of, they'll be taken into custody and treated with the full force of the law," she said.
The group left the al-Roj detention camp on Thursday local time, according to the ABC, which reported it had seen the bus carrying the group.
The bus was reportedly travelling in a convoy escorted by Syrian government officials. It's believed all Australians at the camp have now departed, however camp officials declined to comment.
It is expected they will head towards the capital Damascus for flights returning to Australia, but the timing remains unclear.
It comes after a group of four women and nine children with ties to the IS group arrived in Australia earlier in May after leaving the same refugee camp.
Three of the women in that group were arrested upon their arrival and remain in custody.
Two are facing charges relating to slavery, and the other was charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a declared conflict zone.
It is understood seven women and 14 children remained at the Syrian al-Roj camp following the departure of the first group.
One of the women has been given a temporary exclusion order, which bans them from entering Australia for a two-year period on national security grounds.
The group can to return to Australia from the refugee camp as they are citizens, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted no support has been given to them.
"The US State Department has been very keen on people leaving those camps," he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
"There wasn't a government person on the plane [with the previous cohort], because we weren't providing any assistance, and won't."
The group is part of at least 34 Australian citizens — mainly women and children — who have been stuck in diplomatic limbo in the al-Roj camp since 2019 following the collapse of the IS group.
The story has generated significant political debate and scrutiny of the government, which has limited powers to prevent Australian citizens from returning home.
The government has firmly stated it has not assisted the group in any way, after facing Opposition backlash and accusations of facilitating the return. The government was under obligation to provide the group with passports and did so earlier this year.
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