In a recent session of Parliament, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke addressed the return of six Australian women and children from Syria, a topic that had been largely avoided by the Coalition. Burke spoke during question time on Wednesday, five days after reports surfaced about the group's quiet return after years in war-torn Syria. Although the question was directed at the Prime Minister, who declined to respond, Burke took the opportunity to comment on the situation.

"I thank the member for Fowler for raising the matter in the house," Burke stated. He criticized the Coalition for their reluctance to discuss the issue, saying, "Those opposite have given the impression in the media they were going to, but once they get in here appear, for some reason, unwilling to raise the issue."

Burke, who is also the leader of the House, noted that he could have made a ministerial statement regarding the return of the group. He pointed out that his office had received numerous interview requests since the reports emerged. He emphasized that the government was not involved in the repatriation process, stating, "There had been no repatriation."

He described the decision of some Australians to join extremist groups as "absolutely dreadful" and acknowledged that this was not the first instance of Australians returning from such affiliations. "When Australian citizens seek to return to Australia, they are able to do so," he said. Burke also accused the Coalition of hypocrisy, mentioning that not only the families of Islamic State fighters but also some who had fought for ISIL had returned.

The Prime Minister interjected, confirming the number of returnees. Burke expressed confidence in the security agencies monitoring individuals both inside and outside Australia. He revealed that he had been informed about the group's potential return as early as June and had received updates leading up to their arrival at the end of September. Officials confirmed that citizenship by descent was granted to two of the children after processing in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Coalition focused its questions on Communications Minister Anika Wells, who faced inquiries about the recent Optus triple-0 outage. Wells summoned the heads of major telecommunications companies to Canberra, seeking assurances that the emergency services network would be reliable this summer. She introduced legislation for a triple-0 custodian, a task left unaddressed by her predecessor.

Wells shifted blame for the outage onto Optus, accusing the Coalition of attempting to absolve the company of responsibility. During Senate estimates, it was revealed that Optus had mistakenly used the wrong email address to notify the communications department about the outage. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain remarked, "Surely someone can pick up a phone. I'm sure they had plenty at their disposal."

As the week progressed, the government faced increasing scrutiny over its handling of the Optus outage. A Senate committee, supported by the Coalition, Greens, and independent David Pocock, is expected to be established to investigate the matter further. This committee will have the authority to call on Optus officials for questioning.

In the Coalition, Andrew Hastie, who recently stepped down from the frontbench, would have led the charge against Labor regarding the Syrian return. Now on the backbench, he may find himself in a challenging position alongside vocal members like Tony Pasin. First-term MP Mary Aldred reportedly criticized Hastie's recent actions, suggesting they could harm the Coalition's prospects in the next election. Senior moderate Andrew Bragg echoed concerns about the party's direction, agreeing with former cabinet minister George Brandis that the Coalition risks alienating its base.

In contrast, the UK Conservative Party is facing its own challenges, struggling in the polls and attempting to rally support at their conference in Manchester. The situation highlights the difficulties both parties are experiencing in maintaining public confidence and addressing pressing issues effectively.