UPDATE 1.15pm Thursday: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed Australia has discussed with its allies expanding RAAF bombing raids against the Islamic State from Iraq into Syria and hinted he favours doing so, saying "the morality is the same" on either side of the border.
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While insisting that no formal request from the United States has been made, nor any decision taken by the Australian government, Mr Abbott confirmed discussions about an expansion of the RAAF's mission have taken place.
"While the legality is different, whether these air strikes are taking place in Syria or Iraq, the morality is the same," Mr Abbott said on Thursday morning in Canberra.
"The death cult is just as evil on either side of the border. It's just as dangerous on either side of the border. It's just as deadly on either side of the border and that's why I can understand why there is some interest on the part of our partners in Australian air strikes being extended."
Mr Abbott refused to go into detail but but said "obviously there have been some approaches made at various levels".
"No formal request has been made. No decision has been taken. But I do want to … I don't want to pretend for a second that this campaign at the moment is going perfectly well. I don't want for a second to minimise the danger to this country and to the wider world that the Daesh death cult poses and I do remind people that all along what we've said, what we've done with opposition support has been to pull our weight in the international campaign against this death cult."
Mr Abbott was speaking after Liberal MP Dan Tehan, who chairs a high-powered parliamentary committee on intelligence and security, put the issue squarely on the radar on Thursday by issuing a call for Australian planes to expand strikes from Iraq to neighbouring Syria as part of a broader international effort to step up the campaign against the Islamic State.
Fairfax Media understands Australia is likely at some stage to commit to the expansion with one senior source saying it was probably a matter of "when not if". It is understood that Australia has had ongoing conversations with the US about the RAAF's potential involvement in bombing raids in Syria for some time.
The US, Canada, Britain and a number of Arab countries are already bombing Islamic State targets in Syria, where the terror group has its defacto capital and where it holds much of its territory.
Labor quickly signalled it is unlikely to support expanding bombing raids into Syria, threatening what has until now been a major-party consensus on the fight against the Islamic State.
Labor deputy leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday morning there was no legal basis for Australian air strikes in Syria and added that Mr Abbott himself had made the same point in the past.
"As the Prime Minister himself has said, there is no clear legal basis for Australian involvement in Syria," Ms Plibersek told reporters in Canberra.
"And there is no clarity about the outcome that Australia would be fighting for. On the one hand we've got IS. On the other hand we've got the Assad regime and we've got hundreds of groups proliferating in Syria.
"If the Prime Minister believes that Australia should be involved in Syria, he should come into the Parliament, he should explain the basis on which he's changed his mind and he should make a case to the Australian people through the Australian Parliament.
"It is extraordinary to be sending a backbencher out to run up the flagpole a decision as serious that would send Australian armed personnel into harm's way in one of the most dangerous places in the world."
By contrast, there was "a very clear legal basis for Australian involvement in Iraq" because the government in Baghdad has invited the Australian Defence Force to help with the fight against the Islamic State, Ms Plibersek said.
But Fairfax Media understands that any expansion is likely to target Islamic State supply lines between Syria and Iraq, rather than taking RAAF planes deep into the heart of the terror group's territory.
The legal basis would therefore be that the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq is emanating from neighbouring Syria, justifying crossing the border to tackle that threat.
The RAAF has been carrying out strikes in Iraq since late last year as part of an international campaign. It is currently flying six Hornet fighter planes as well as an aerial refueller and a radar command and control aircraft.
It is understood that discussions have revolved around stretching the existing RAAF planes' missions rather than sending additional aircraft and personnel.
Mr Tehan said expanding RAAF air strikes would be tactically useful but also crucially give Australia leverage to call on the US and the international community to do more to help suffering Syrians.
"It shows that we are serious .. and it then gives us the proper credibility to call on the [United Nations] to do more," he said.
He maintained he had not discussed with Mr Abbott or anyone in the government his plan to go public calling for the expanded air strikes.
"This is a global humanitarian crisis and it is becoming, if we sit on our hands, it will become an increasing global security crisis."
Mr Tehan said there was "not a clear strategy from the international community at the moment to solve Syria".
UPDATE, noon Thursday: Australia has been discussing with the United States and other allies the prospect of expanding RAAF bombing raids against the Islamic State terror group into Syria and is likely at some stage to commit to the expansion, Fairfax Media understands.
Liberal MP Dan Tehan, who chairs a high-powered parliamentary committee on intelligence and security, put the issue squarely on the radar on Thursday by issuing a call for Australian planes to expand strikes from Iraq to neighbouring Syria.
Labor quickly signalled it is unlikely to support expanding bombing raids into Syria, threatening what has until now been a major-party consensus on the fight against the Islamic State.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has never ruled out extending air strikes from Iraq into Syria. Fairfax Media understands Australia has had ongoing conversations with the US about the RAAF's potential involvement in bombing raids in Syria.
While no decision has yet been made, and may not be made for some time, Fairfax Media has been told it is likely a matter of "when not if".
The US, Canada, Britain and a number of Arab countries are already bombing Islamic State targets in Syria, where the terror group has its defacto capital and where it holds much of its territory.
Labor deputy leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday morning there was no legal basis for Australian air strikes in Syria and added that Mr Abbott himself had made the same point in the past.
"As the Prime Minister himself has said, there is no clear legal basis for Australian involvement in Syria," Ms Plibersek told reporters in Canberra.
"And there is no clarity about the outcome that Australia would be fighting for. On the one hand we've got IS. On the other hand we've got the Assad regime and we've got hundreds of groups proliferating in Syria.
"If the Prime Minister believes that Australia should be involved in Syria, he should come into the Parliament, he should explain the basis on which he's changed his mind and he should make a case to the Australian people through the Australian Parliament.
"It is extraordinary to be sending a backbencher out to run up the flagpole a decision as serious that would send Australian armed personnel into harm's way in one of the most dangerous places in the world."
By contrast, there was "a very clear legal basis for Australian involvement in Iraq" because the government in Baghdad has invited the Australian Defence Force to help with the fight against the Islamic State, Ms Plibersek said.
But Fairfax Media understands that any expansion is likely to target Islamic State supply lines between Syria and Iraq, rather than taking RAAF planes deep into the heart of the terror group's territory.
The legal basis would therefore be that the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq is emanating from neighbouring Syria, justifying crossing the border to tackle that threat.
The RAAF has been carrying out strikes in Iraq since late last year as part of an international campaign. It is currently flying six Hornet fighter planes as well as an aerial refueller and a radar command and control aircraft.
It is understood that discussions have revolved around stretching the existing RAAF planes' missions rather than sending additional aircraft and personnel.
Mr Tehan told the ABC that "if necessary, we could look at putting additional aircraft on".
"It's in our national interest to do so. We have foreign fighters from Australia still going to the caliphate. Some of them, history shows, will try and return home and carry out terrorist attacks here."
Mr Tehan said he had not spoken to Mr Abbott about the issue. Rather, after a recent overseas trip on which he spoke with US and European officials, he had "come firmly to believe in" an air strike expansion.
EARLIER: Australian fighter jets should start bombing Islamic State jihadists in Syria, the head of the federal government's security committee says.
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security chairman Dan Tehan said the Hornet fighter jets should be launching air strikes in Syria as well as Iraq.
The Liberal member for Wannon outlined his push for Australia to expand its military role in an opinion piece for News Corporation on Thursday.
"The time has come for Australia to join the military coalition seeking to destroy Daesh (IS) in Syria," Mr Tehan wrote.
Australian fighter jets have been conducting air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq since last October.
About 900 Australian Defence Force troops have been dispatched to the Middle East since the start of the campaign.
Australians at home were revealed to be in the group's sights after it hacked the personal information of Australian Defence Force employees and their relatives, a Victorian MP, and several public servants, and urged home-grown terrorists to attack them, in a chilling online breach.
More to come.
