Housing Minister Clare O’Neil remains tight-lipped on whether the return of a group of women and children linked to ISIS fighters could present a safety risk to the rest of Australian society.

Seven women and 12 children – all Australian citizens – touched down in Sydney and Melbourne airports from Syria on Tuesday.

The group fled the al-Roj internment camp in Syria’s northeast last week. They had been detained in the desert facility since the fall of the so-called ISIS caliphate in 2019.

No arrests were made upon the cohort’s arrival in Australia.

Four women and nine children also returned to Australia from Syria earlier in May.

Three of those women were arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police upon arrival at Melbourne and Sydney airports.

On Wednesday, Ms O’Neil was asked about the cohort’s return and whether they posed a risk to Australians.

In her answer, she deferred to the role of national security agencies in observing the group before pointing out: “This is a difficult issue and a long running issue for the country.”

The question was put to her repeatedly by Today host Sarah Abo, but Ms O’Neil insisted the Albanese government had made it clear it had no sympathy for the group.

She pointed to the return of previous cohorts under the Morrison government and said efforts to “legislate the problem away” had been unsuccessful.

“We have to trust our national security agencies,” she said.

“We have some of the best national security agencies in the world supporting us and keeping us safe.

“And they are watching this situation very closely.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, asked about the group’s arrival, later accused the government of “rolling out the welcome mat for people who (had) turned their backs” on Australia.

The government has repeatedly refused to offer any assistance to ISIS-linked Australians previously trapped in Syria, including efforts to repatriate the cohort.

But it could not stop the group of Australian citizens from being provided passports, which they received earlier this year through intermediary Jamal Rifi, a prominent Sydney doctor.

Dr Rifi has been a prominent advocate for the women and children’s repatriation.

“What they have done is not known to anyone in Australia except to our security agency and AFP who have monitored them,” Dr Rifi told the ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday.

He said he believed it was safer for the children to return to Australia now, instead of remaining in northeastern Syria, where they could grow up in the presence of radicalised individuals.

One Australian woman who was part of the cohort living in al-Roj has been issued with a temporary exclusion order (TEO) by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on the advice of ASIO.

It bans her from returning to the country for up to two years on the grounds of national security. NewsWire understands this woman remains in Syria.

She was refused access to a flight with the rest of the second cohort from Damascus despite acquiring plane tickets. Her child, to whom the TEO doesn’t apply, remains with her.