The group, comprising seven women and 12 children, was scheduled to arrive in Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday, according to Australian officials. Their return follows the repatriation earlier this month of another group of 13 Australians from the same region, some of whom were subsequently charged with terrorism-related offenses.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said law enforcement and intelligence agencies had spent years preparing for such returns and would closely monitor those arriving.

“Anyone who has committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law,” Burke said in a statement, emphasizing that community safety remained the government’s primary concern.

The minister added that the government had not provided assistance for the latest group’s travel arrangements, describing the individuals as people who had chosen to associate with a terrorist organization and place their children in dangerous circumstances.

The returnees were being held in Roj Camp, a detention facility in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border that has housed women and children associated with Daesh since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.

Following the departure of the latest group, at least two Australian nationals are expected to remain at the camp. One woman subject to a temporary exclusion order, a legal mechanism designed to delay the return of high-risk citizens for up to two years, was not among those traveling back to Australia.

The repatriations highlight the continuing challenge facing governments around the world as they deal with citizens who traveled to territories once controlled by Daesh. Australia introduced temporary exclusion orders in 2019 as part of broader legislation aimed at managing the return of suspected foreign fighters and their families.

Authorities have already demonstrated a willingness to pursue legal action against returnees. Three of the four women repatriated earlier this month were charged with slavery and terrorism-related offenses and remain in custody pending legal proceedings.
Among those charged were Kawsar Ahmed, also known as Kawsar Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, who were arrested upon arrival in Melbourne over allegations connected to the purchase of a Yazidi woman held as a slave during Daesh’s rule.

Another returnee, Janai Safar, was detained in Sydney and charged with membership in a terrorist organization as well as entering or remaining in territory controlled by a terrorist group.
Australian governments have conducted several organized repatriation efforts since the collapse of Daesh’s self-declared caliphate, while other citizens have returned independently without official assistance.

The latest operation reflects Canberra’s continuing policy of bringing back women and children from Syrian detention camps while relying on criminal investigations, intelligence monitoring and court proceedings to address potential security risks posed by returning adults.

A series of arson attacks targeting Melbourne’s hospitality and liquor sectors has drawn attention to the increasing involvement of teenagers in organised criminal activity, with police warning that young offenders are being recruited as low-cost operatives to carry out high-risk attacks.

Investigators examining the attacks, which have been linked to what authorities describe as the city’s ongoing “hospitality wars,” say criminal groups are increasingly turning to juveniles because they are viewed as expendable and face less severe legal consequences than adult offenders.

Law enforcement officials have indicated that some young people involved in the attacks were allegedly offered less than A$1,000 to carry out acts of arson.Police have argued that organised crime groups are exploiting the differences between youth and adult sentencing frameworks, allowing criminal networks to distance themselves from direct involvement while relying on minors to execute attacks.

Authorities say the trend presents a significant challenge because it combines organised criminal planning with the recruitment of young people who often have limited prior contact with the justice system.

The issue has become more prominent following several attacks on hospitality-related businesses across Melbourne, including the firebombing of the Keysborough headquarters of liquor company 80 Proof on April 23 and a fire at Melbourne CBD venue Bar Bambi two days later.

More recently, Ladida nightclub was attacked on May 5 as part of the broader pattern of incidents under investigation.Two teenagers charged over some of the earlier attacks have already been sentenced and released into the community. The youths, aged 15 and 16, pleaded guilty to offences connected to the attacks on 80 Proof and Bar Bambi.

According to court outcomes, both teenagers had no prior convictions before the offences.The court imposed youth supervision orders rather than custodial sentences. Such orders require offenders to comply with strict conditions while remaining in the community for a specified period.

One of the teenagers was released without a conviction being recorded.The sentencing outcomes have prompted concern among some business owners affected by the attacks, particularly those who suffered significant financial losses. The owners of 80 Proof said the fire caused extensive damage to company property and inventory, with the destruction of a building valued at more than A$3 million and stock estimated at approximately A$1 million.

In a joint statement, the owners questioned whether the punishment reflected the seriousness of the offending. They argued that the consequences extended beyond property damage and had significant effects on employees and business operations.“This was not a minor offence,” the owners said, noting that the fire resulted in the loss of eight jobs and severely affected the livelihoods of another 15 workers.

They said many of those impacted had families who depended on the business for income.The owners also pointed to comments made during sentencing proceedings, saying the judge acknowledged the seriousness of the offences and noted that nobody had been physically injured.

However, they argued that the broader consequences of the attack should also be considered.“Even the judge reportedly acknowledged it was serious offending and that it was lucky nobody was physically hurt,” the statement said. “The reality is a lot of people were hurt by their actions; emotionally, financially, professionally and psychologically.”

The business owners said they believed the penalties imposed did not adequately reflect the damage caused by the attack and expressed concern about the potential message sent by the sentencing outcome.“At the moment, it feels like victims, businesses and employees are the ones carrying the real punishment while the actual offenders face very little accountability,” the statement said.

“We do not believe justice was served today, and we are deeply concerned by the message this sentencing sends.”The case highlights the tension between youth justice principles, which often emphasize rehabilitation for first-time offenders, and the concerns of businesses and victims seeking accountability for serious crimes.

Courts typically take into account factors including age, prior criminal history, guilty pleas and prospects for rehabilitation when determining sentences for juvenile offenders.

Police, meanwhile, have continued to focus on the broader criminal networks believed to be behind the attacks. Investigators view the teenagers who carried out individual incidents as only one part of a larger criminal ecosystem in which organisers recruit younger people to perform tasks while attempting to shield senior figures from direct legal exposure.

Law enforcement officials say disrupting those recruitment pipelines has become a central objective. Authorities have stressed that the response requires cooperation across government agencies and law enforcement bodies rather than focusing solely on individual offenders.

The comments reflect growing concern among investigators that organised crime groups are adapting their methods in response to policing pressures. By using minors with little or no criminal history, criminal networks can reduce costs, complicate investigations and limit the risk of lengthy prison sentences for those carrying out attacks.

For businesses caught up in the violence, however, the immediate concern remains the damage caused by the attacks and the uncertainty surrounding the motives behind them. An owner of 80 Proof said the company still does not know why it was targeted.

According to the owner, police have advised that the incident is being treated as part of the broader pattern of arson attacks under investigation.Authorities have not publicly identified the individuals or groups believed to be directing the attacks, and investigations into the wider network remain ongoing.

Police continue to examine links between multiple incidents across Melbourne’s hospitality and liquor industries as they seek to determine who organised the attacks and why specific businesses were selected.

A former corporate executive from Mumbai who left a senior product leadership role in London to relocate to Melbourne has drawn attention online after describing her transition from a high-paying technology career to managing and cleaning short-term rental apartments in Australia.

Shweta Desai said the move forced her to reassess the relationship between professional identity, financial independence and personal stability after struggling to secure equivalent employment following her relocation in late 2023.Speaking to Hindustan Times and in a video shared on social media, Desai said she had spent nearly 15 years building her career in the United Kingdom after moving there from Mumbai in 2008 for higher studies.

Before leaving London, she worked as Head of Product for a commercial business platform and was reportedly earning close to £100,000 annually, equivalent to roughly ₹1 crore at current exchange rates.Her relocation to Australia followed her husband securing employment in Melbourne. However, Desai said the Australian job market differed significantly from the one she had experienced in the United Kingdom, making it difficult to obtain a similar leadership position.

“The job market in Melbourne is very different, so I couldn’t find what I wanted,” she said.Unable to secure a corporate role immediately after arriving, Desai said she accepted the first available employment opportunity she could find, which involved managing Airbnb apartments.

The work included cleaning rooms, replacing linens and responding to customer queries on the rental platform.“I went from Head of Product in London to cleaning apartments in Melbourne,” she said in an Instagram video. “And for a long time I thought I’d lost myself completely.”The experience, according to Desai, marked a sharp shift not only in employment status but also in lifestyle and financial autonomy. Reflecting on her life in London, she described a period of economic comfort associated with senior corporate employment and long-term career growth.“The title.

The salary. The wardrobe. It was all gone,” she said.Desai said unemployment and career uncertainty had a significant emotional impact during the initial stages of relocation. She described feeling disconnected from her previous sense of identity and increasingly uncertain about how she defined herself outside professional achievement.“The person who remained was like a shell,” she told Hindustan Times.

“She was bending over backwards for everyone, making sure that any needs that she had didn’t really get done.”The adjustment period also highlighted broader issues surrounding migration, employment mobility and the challenges professionals face when moving between international labour markets. Despite years of experience in the United Kingdom, Desai said her qualifications and previous corporate role did not immediately translate into equivalent opportunities in Australia.

Economists and labour market analysts have increasingly noted that skilled migrants often face transitional barriers when relocating across countries, including local hiring preferences, accreditation differences and limited professional networks in new labour markets.

Desai said the manual and routine nature of apartment management work eventually provided a degree of psychological stability after months of uncertainty.“It’s a functional job,” she said. “It gave me a small part of myself back.”Over time, she said the experience helped separate her sense of identity from corporate designation and salary level. Questions from others about her profession during unemployment periods had initially intensified feelings of insecurity.

“Everywhere we went, people would ask me, so what do you do?” she said. “I didn’t really have an answer.”Desai said she sometimes referred to herself as “figuring it out” or as a housewife, although she felt uncomfortable with descriptions that she believed no longer reflected her personal or professional identity.The experience later became part of a broader reassessment of financial independence and self-worth.

Desai said the loss of professional status forced her to confront how heavily she had associated personal value with career success.“But here’s what nobody tells you about losing a career you worked fifteen years to build,” she said. “When the title goes, you find out who you actually are underneath it.”She added that the transition ultimately led to greater self-awareness and a revised understanding of financial freedom.“I’ve realised that money equals freedom,” she said. “It means options.”

Desai currently continues to manage apartments while also teaching English to children and developing a coaching and business practice, according to the interview.Her account has resonated widely on social media platforms, particularly among professionals discussing career instability, migration challenges and shifting definitions of success in post-pandemic labour markets.

The discussion also reflects wider changes in global employment trends as professionals increasingly relocate across borders for family, economic or lifestyle reasons while navigating uneven labour conditions and rising living costs in major international cities.

Australia, like several developed economies, has experienced fluctuations in hiring across technology and corporate sectors in recent years, affecting both local job seekers and newly arrived migrants.

Professionals relocating from established overseas careers can face extended transition periods before re-entering comparable positions.Desai said her experience ultimately changed how she viewed both work and financial security.

“Money means options, freedom and sometimes happiness too,” she said.

Australia’s long-standing do-it-yourself culture is increasingly being reshaped by concerns over waste, emissions and the rising cost of replacing household equipment, prompting greater interest in electric tools, repair cafes and community-run tool libraries.For many Australians, weekend trips to hardware stores remain a routine part of home and garden maintenance.

Survey data shows about 57% of Australians consider themselves willing to undertake repairs and improvements around the house and garden. But environmental advocates and repair networks say the traditional DIY model, particularly one reliant on petrol-powered equipment and infrequently used new tools, carries significant environmental and financial costs.

Australia imports more than one million outdoor power tools annually, including lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, chippers and pressure washers. Many of these are powered by two-stroke or four-stroke petrol engines, which generate noise, greenhouse gas emissions and exhaust pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter.

According to the California Air Resources Board, operating a commercial leaf blower for one hour produces a similar level of air pollutants as driving a car for about 1,700 kilometres, roughly the distance between Melbourne and Brisbane.

One hour of lawn mowing produces emissions comparable to driving about 480 kilometres.Research has also shown that on summer weekends in Australia, small non-road engines, largely from lawn mowing and recreational boating, contribute up to 20% of certain forms of air pollution, including carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds.

In California, these engines overtook passenger vehicles as the largest source of smog-forming pollution in 2020.Harry Barber, a transport consultant and volunteer with Electrify Yarra, said battery-electric alternatives are now available for nearly all common household garden tools, reducing the need for petrol-powered equipment.“Whether it’s a mower, or a blower, or a whipper-snipper, or a chainsaw. Whatever you need, it can all be electric,” Barber said.

He said transitioning to electric tools is significantly more affordable for most households than replacing a petrol vehicle with an electric car. Many manufacturers also design batteries that work across multiple tools, reducing both cost and material use.Barber said electric tools offer additional benefits beyond emissions reduction.

They are quieter, require less maintenance and eliminate the burnt oil smell associated with two-stroke engines. Although Australia banned the sale of two-stroke tools in 2020 due to pollution concerns, many households continue to use older equipment already in circulation.

In the United States, dozens of cities have banned the sale of petrol-powered leaf blowers or introduced financial incentives to encourage households and landscaping businesses to adopt electric alternatives.Alongside the shift toward electric equipment, another movement is growing across Australian cities: borrowing instead of buying.

Tool libraries, where residents pay a membership fee to borrow tools rather than purchase them, are expanding as communities seek to reduce overconsumption and make expensive equipment more accessible.