Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has condemned the North Korean regime as "provocative and dangerous" following its detonation of a nuclear bomb.
"Today's nuclear test confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
She said Australia would make its concerns known directly to the North Korean government and would work to strengthen sanctions aimed at reducing funding to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programs.
Ms Bishop called on the UN security council to provide a strong response.
She said it was the fourth time North Korea had conducted a nuclear bomb test in direct violation of unanimous security council resolutions, with its actions flying in the face of international non-proliferation norms.
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"North Korea's ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and its proliferation of sensitive technologies, threaten the peace and security of Australia's friends and partners in our region and beyond," she said.
