A father and grandfather of an Australian woman and three children in a Syrian detention camp says he's excited at the prospect of having them returned.
The Labor government is set to implement a rescue plan to bring 16 women and 42 children who are families of Islamic State members.
They have been held in al-Roj detention camp in northeast Syria near the Iraqi border for three and a half years following the fall of Islamic State in March 2019.
Kamalle Dabboussy, who lives in Sydney, says he's not been officially notified of the mission but would cooperate with all levels of government to bring his family home.
"It's every parent's wish to ensure their children are safe," he said.
A secret ASIO mission into Syria has cleared the way for the families to be repatriated to Australia, The Australian reported on Monday.
Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler welcomed the news, saying the repatriation "can't come soon enough".
"Children have died in these camps," he said.
"Australian children are poorly nourished, suffering from untreated shrapnel wounds and the situation is impacting their mental health."
But the Opposition is asking questions over federal government plans to bring home dozens of Australian women and children from detention camps in Syria.
Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Karen Andrews says she didn't give the green light when she was in government due to the risk of sending Australia officials over and radicalisation concerns.
Ms Andrews said advice to her stated the women posed a security risk after travelling willingly and being " complicit, generally, in the role they were expected to play ... to support ISIS and foreign fighters".
Ms Andrews said bringing them back "posed an unnecessary risk and enormous cost".
"I've seen nothing to alter my view," she told the ABC.
But federal frontbencher Tanya Plibersek disputed the account.
"Some of the women, the mothers, were taken there as little more than children themselves and married off to (Islamic State) fighters," she told the Seven Network.
"Some of them were tricked, some of them were forced to go there."
The Labor minister said it was important the women and children receive counselling upon their arrival.
There would be an expectation security organisations would stay in contact and monitor those repatriated, she added.
But Ms Andrews said control orders giving Australian authorities surveillance powers were not easy to get and maintain.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said it appeared the security situation had changed to allow for the repatriation after the reported mission.
He said anyone who had broken the law, such as going to declared zones, where the Australian government had banned visits, should face prosecution.
Ms Andrews said she expected some would be charged and imprisoned upon their return to Australia.
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told the ABC any decision on repatriation is informed by national security advice and "it would not be appropriate to comment further".