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Four Australian women and 13 children, who are the families of Islamic State fighters, have been brought back to Sydney after spending more than three years in detention camps in Syria.

The families flew home as a part of a top secret operation and are expected to questioned by authorities about their activities abroad.

The government said the women and children who have been repatriated were each assessed individually by national security agencies.

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"The Australian Government has repatriated four Australian women and their 13 Australian children to New South Wales from an Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Syria," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

"At all times the focus has been the safety and security of all Australians as well as the safety of those involved in the operation. Informed by national security advice, the Government has carefully considered the range of security, community and welfare factors in making the decision to repatriate.

"The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies.

"The Government's decision follows similar repatriations carried out by the previous Morrison Government in 2019, as well as the United States, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and, most recently, Canada.

"Allegations of unlawful activity will continue to be investigated by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprised of the Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission. Any identified offences may lead to law enforcement action being taken."

They have volunteered to wear tracking devices, report to authorities and not communicate with certain people which is in line with Australia's terrorism control orders.

A NSW Government spokesperson said they acknowledged there would be concerns within some communities but they had sought assurances that those returning posed no safety risk.

"Following this decision, the NSW Government sought assurances from the Commonwealth Government that the return of these individuals pose no security of safety risk to the NSW public," the spokesperson said.

"The Commonwealth holds legal responsibility for determining who is repatriated, and has done so following security assessments undertaken by Commonwealth intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

"NSW Police and our agencies will work closely with Commonwealth agencies to ensure the safety of people in New South Wales.

"We acknowledge the deep concerns held by members of the NSW community, who have fled the Islamic State or had family persecuted by the regime.

"NSW is a cohesive and resilient society that does not tolerate violent extremism and our agencies will work closely with the Commonwealth to assist in the reintegration of these repatriated Australians."

Shadow home affairs minister Karen Andrews said she was concerned about the decision.

"It is inexcusable the actions that have been taken by the Albanese government in putting Australian lives at risk to extract women and children from the camps in Syria," Andrews said.

There are around 40 women and children with Australian citizenship in camps in Syria.

They are expected to be repatriated in coming months.

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It is a moment that for many observers has come to define strongman leader Xi Jinping's tightening grip on China: his visibly frail predecessor, Hu Jintao, being escorted out of a key Communist Party meeting during a five-yearly leadership reshuffle — apparently at Xi's behest.

Images of two men ushering the 79-year-old from his seat and toward the exit were beamed across the world as the party's National Congress came to a close Saturday, leading to days of speculation over whether Hu was the victim of a deliberately public power play.

This week, those rumours have only grown — despite a claim by Chinese state media on Twitter that Hu left due to ill-health — and the intrigue is likely to grow further still with the release of footage showing the 90 seconds leading up to his sudden removal.

READ MORE: Questions swirl after China's former leader Hu's mysterious exit

The footage, released by Singapore broadcaster CNA on Tuesday, shows a series of high-level exchanges between senior party leaders, in which Hu is repeatedly prevented from looking at official documents in front of him.

It shows Li Zhanshu, the party's outgoing number-three official, who is sitting next to Hu at the front table on stage, take the documents from Hu's hand and place them under a red folder. When Hu then reaches for the documents, Li pulls them away.

Xi, who is sat on Hu's other side, glances at the exchanges and summons a senior aide to whom he speaks briefly. Moments later, a second aide hurries over, receives an instruction from Xi, then speaks to an apparently nonplussed Hu.

As per the footage that circulated on Saturday, Hu — who appears reluctant to leave — is then lifted from his chair, taken by the arm and escorted out.

None of the footage — either that released on Saturday or Tuesday — has been broadcast in China. Neither has the incident been reported in Chinese language media, or discussed on Chinese social media, where conversations around senior leaders are highly restricted.

Late on Saturday night, China's official Xinhua news agency tweeted in English that Hu "insisted on attending" the closing ceremony despite his poor health and was escorted out after feeling unwell. However, within China, where Twitter is blocked, the incident was not mentioned.

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On Weibo, censors even restricted the search results for vague keywords such as "escorted away" or "leaving the meeting," in an apparent effort to prevent users from making veiled references to the incident, according to Eric Liu, a censorship analyst with China Digital Times.

Tuesday's footage has fueled fervent speculation about what was in the document and why Hu was not allowed to see it — and left observers divided over what sparked his exit.

Some maintain it was likely due to Hu's poor health or mental state — after retiring in 2013, he has been seen in public looking increasingly frail. Others suggest it could be a deliberate power play by Xi to show his unrivalled authority.

Symbol of a new era

Like many unexplained episodes in the black box of elite Chinese politics, the true reason behind Hu's unexpected departure may never be known. But experts say the symbolism — unintended or otherwise — is hard to miss: Having eradicated any vestige of influence from party elders or rival factions, Xi has ushered in a new era of one-man rule surrounded by only staunch loyalists.

Meanwhile, gone with Hu are the many hallmarks that had defined his decade in power during which he presided over a period of double-digit economic growth and comparative openness.

Hu also relinquished both his party and military posts when he retired in 2012 after two terms in power — earning him praise from Xi for "his broad mind and noble character."

While Hu was never as powerful as Xi is now — owing in part to the model of collective leadership and the balancing influence of multiple party factions and elders, including his predecessor Jiang Zemin — he was associated with a faction connected to the Communist Youth League, a once powerful grouping whose influence has diminished considerably during Xi's rule.

Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, said the latest footage suggests Hu's dramatic exit was likely not planned.

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"For whatever reasons, Xi ordered Hu to be escorted out when he must have thought that Hu might not behave exactly as Xi would have wanted," he said.

The new video has been interpreted by some as a sign of Hu's supposed displeasure with the outcome of the Congress, which saw Xi consolidate his power by stacking the new leadership team with his loyal allies and proteges.

Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, head of China's top advisory body, both retired from the party's supreme Politburo Standing Committee, despite being one year below the unofficial retirement age of 68. Both Li and Wang are seen as closer to Hu's sphere of influence.

In an even more surprising revelation on Sunday, Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, another protege of the elder Hu (the two are not related), was dropped from the new 24-member Politburo. Once seen as a rising star being groomed for the top leadership, Hu Chunhua's political future has dimmed under Xi.

But Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist at the Australian National University, said a planned public purge at the closing of the congress was unlikely, given the party's emphasis on unity.

"The Chinese Communist Party prizes the image of unity and control, and more so than ever during the Xi era," said Sung.

If Xi had wanted to purge Hu to prevent the former leader from raising objections in public, he would have done so before foreign press were allowed into the auditorium, Sung said.

"A high-profile purge of Hu at a critical juncture like the 20th Party Congress shows the presence of dissent, and the notion that Xi is at least 'challengeable,'" he said. "Neither is great for Xi's image of invincibility."

'No empathy'

Many observers were also struck by the apparent coldness of the other leaders on the stage. Few showed any concern for Hu, and many avoided looking in his direction.

"There's no empathy," said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

To rise through the party, officials have learned to hide their personal emotions and characteristics, Wu said, "They just try to be like a machine in the party machinery."

On his way out, Hu patted the shoulder of his protege, Premier Li, who nodded and turned briefly to watch him walk away. Next to Li, Wang sat upright and stared straight ahead, seemingly frozen in motion.

READ MORE: Xi still prepared to use force to achieve Taiwan 'reunification'

Further down the edge of the stage, Hu Chunhua did not even cast a glance toward the party elder as he passed by. Instead, he looked straight ahead with a notable frown and arms folded across his chest.

But even if the real reason for the elder Hu's departure never becomes clear, the incident has nevertheless sent an unequivocal message about Xi's absolute hold on power, analysts say.

Hu's undignified exit showed that "Xi had reduced the once powerful (Communist) Youth League faction to insignificance," said Tsang at the University of London.

"With no successor in sight, and the previous leader humiliated, Xi had projected to the party that…no one in the party should look over his shoulder for another leader, be him the future or the past leader," Tsang said.

"Now there is only one leader in China."

A Victorian man has been allegedly caught driving with illegal drugs in his system twice by police in less than four hours.

Police first pulled over a Holden ute filled with rubbish at Whittington in Geelong just before 11pm last night.

The 48-year-old pretended to be his brother before admitting he didn't have a licence.

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Police allege the Whittington man tested positive for methamphetamine and was told not to drive again.

Less than four hours later at 2.20am, police spotted the car but it sped off and police decided not to chase it for safety reasons.

The officers instead decided to wait outside his house, where the man returned but this time he was on foot.

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The man allegedly decided to park his car around the corner and run home, to try and avoid the officers.

Police allege the man admitted to driving his ute again and tested positive to methamphetamine and cannabis again.

His car was impounded for 28 days at a cost of $1225.

The man is expected to be charged with numerous offences.

Three-dimensional pedestrian crossings will be trialled in Sydney's northern beaches in an effort to improve public safety.

The crossings create an optical illusion by appearing to rise up from the pavement, which research has shown can slow traffic speeds.

The 3D crossings have been trialled across Europe and America but Manly will be the first suburb in NSW to have the innovative crossings.

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Boulia, an outback Queensland town, was the first in Australia to install a 3D crossing, with Cairns and Melbourne among a handful of others trialing the worldwide trend.

Transport NSW will paint the crossings onto the road in high traffic areas of Manly from this Sunday and it's expected to be finished by Wednesday.

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The removal of the old crossings has already begun.

Driver, pedestrian and community behaviour will be assessed during the first six months of the trial to determine the crossing's effectiveness.

If successful, the Northern Beaches Council will consider painting the crossings in other high pedestrian and vehicle traffic areas across the area.

A woman has died after her car rolled though an intersection in south-east Queensland yesterday evening.

The 48-year-old was travelling through the intersection of Beaudesert Nerang Road and Clagiraba Road in Clagiraba when she lost control of the car.

The Tallebudgera woman was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition, where she later died.

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A 47-year-old man and 15-year-old girl were also in the car at the time.

They both had minor injuries are were taken to the same hospital.

Police are urging anyone with dashcam footage relating to the incident to come forward.

The man who allegedly attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband early Friday posted memes and conspiracy theories on Facebook about Covid vaccines, the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and an acquaintance told CNN that he seemed "out of touch with reality."

David DePape, 42, was identified by police on Friday as the suspect in the assault on Paul Pelosi at the speaker's San Francisco home.

Two of DePape's relatives told CNN that DePape is estranged from his family, and confirmed that the Facebook account, which was taken down by the social media company on Friday, belonged to him.

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His stepfather, Gene DePape, said David DePape grew up in Powell River, British Columbia, and left Canada about 20 years ago to pursue a relationship that brought him to California.

"I really don't know what to think," the suspect's uncle, Mark DePape, said of his nephew's alleged attack on Pelosi.

"Hopefully it's a scam. I don't want to hear something like that."

Last year, David DePape posted links on his Facebook page to multiple videos produced by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell falsely alleging that the 2020 election was stolen.

Other posts included transphobic images and linked to websites claiming Covid vaccines were deadly.

"The death rates being promoted are what ever 'THEY' want to be promoted as the death rate," one post read.

DePape also posted links to YouTube videos with titles like "Democrat FARCE Commission to Investigate January 6th Capitol Riot COLLAPSES in Congress!!!" and "Global Elites Plan To Take Control Of YOUR Money! (Revealed)".

Two days after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd, DePape wrote that the trial was "a modern lynching," falsely indicating that Floyd died of a drug overdose.

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He also posted content about the "Great Reset", the sprawling conspiracy theory that global elites are using coronavirus to usher in a new world order in which they gain more power and oppress the masses.

And he complained that politicians making promises to try to win votes "are offering you bribes in exchange for your further enslavement".

Most of the public posts on DePape's Facebook page were from 2021.

In earlier years, DePape also posted long screeds about religion, including claims that "Jesus is the anti christ".

None of the public posts appeared to mention Pelosi.

Two former acquaintances of DePape's in California told CNN he exhibited concerning behaviour over the years.

Linda Schneider said she got to know DePape roughly eight years ago and that he occasionally housesat for her.

When they met, she said, DePape was living in a storage unit in the Berkeley area and told her he had been struggling with hard drugs but was "trying to create a new life for himself".

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Schneider later received "really disturbing" emails from DePape in which he sounded like a "megalomaniac and so out of touch with reality," she said.

She said she stopped communicating with him "because it seemed so dangerous," adding that she recalled him "using Biblical justification to do harm".

Laura Hayes, who also lives in California, said she worked with DePape for a few months roughly a decade ago making hemp bracelets when he was living in a storage shed in the Berkeley area.

She said DePape sold the bracelets as a business.

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"He was very odd. He didn't make eye contact very well," Hayes said.

She recalled him saying that "he talks to angels and there will be a hard time coming."

But she didn't remember any seriously threatening comments, and said she didn't think much of it because "it's Berkeley," a place where eccentric characters aren't uncommon.

Hayes, who was Facebook friends with DePape, called his more recent posts "so phobic in so many ways" and filled with "so much anger."