A reported repatriation deal sparks political tension in Canberra — but the government says it’s not happening.
Australia’s government has denied reports that it is preparing to repatriate 34 Australian women and children linked to suspected ISIS militants from a detention camp in northern Syria.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Sunday rejected a claim published in the Sunday Telegraph that Canberra was conducting preparations for their return.
“In that report, it makes a claim that we are conducting a repatriation. We are not,” Burke told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He also denied that the federal government had been coordinating with state authorities to manage the group’s arrival.
The individuals — 34 women and children — were briefly released from the Syrian camp last week but returned to detention for what officials described as technical reasons. Reports suggested they could travel to Damascus before eventually returning to Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, leader of the center-left Labor government, said earlier this week that his administration would not facilitate the group’s return.
The issue remains politically charged. The repatriation of relatives of suspected ISIS fighters has long divided Australian lawmakers, with critics arguing it poses security risks. The debate has intensified amid rising support for the anti-immigration One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson.
Australia has previously repatriated small groups of women and children from Syrian camps, insisting that monitored returns are safer than leaving citizens in unstable conditions abroad.
For now, however, Canberra is drawing a clear line: no active repatriation effort is underway.
