Overview

• Home Affairs told Senate estimates that six Australians — two women and four children — returned without repatriation assistance and arrived on 26 September.
• The government confirmed the group was detained in Beirut and issued Australian passports after processing by Lebanese authorities.
• Ministers say security agencies are monitoring the cohort, reiterating there is no planned repatriation and that people will only be accepted if they return independently.
• Opposition senators alleged a cover-up as officials took questions on notice and cited privacy limits on disclosing details about the cohort.
• Roughly 37 Australians, including about 25 children, remain in Syrian camps, and Save The Children urged the government to bring the children home.