Key Brief’s From The Supplementary Estimates Hearing - ISIL-Linked Australians In Detention Or Internally Displaced Persons Camps In Syria And Foreign Interference, Dated November 2024 ​

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In November 2024, Home Affairs provided a ministerial brief on approximately 60 Australian men and women remaining offshore linked to ISIL, primarily in northeast Syria detention facilities and internally displaced persons camps. The brief noted the Federal Court (June 2024), Full Court (July 2024), and High Court (September 2024) all ruled the Commonwealth lacks control over Australian women and children in Syria. The department acknowledged humanitarian concerns but cited extremely dangerous conditions in Syria as severely limiting repatriation capacity, distinguishing the situation from Lebanon, Israel, and the Occupied Territories where government-assisted departures remain viable. Home Affairs, as lead agency, coordinates with humanitarian partners for assistance delivery given the absence of Australian diplomatic presence in Syria. The brief referenced a prior October 2022 repatriation of four Australian women and 13 children to New South Wales, contrasting with the current inability to conduct similar operations.