Australian soldiers have been deployed to Iraq to beef up security at the embassy in Baghdad.
A spokesman for Defence Minister David Johnston on Friday confirmed that a small Australian Defence Force "liaison element" had been sent to Baghdad to bolster security arrangements at the embassy.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott alluded to the decision when voicing his concerns about the safety of Australian staff bunkered down in Baghdad.
He said nobody should underestimate the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the terrorist group advancing towards Baghdad after routing government forces in the north.
"Right now our focus is first of all ensuring that our people in Baghdad are safe and that we have the capacity to remove them if necessary," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney.
Australia began withdrawing its officials from the strife-torn country this week, leaving an "essential core" of embassy staff in place.
The federal government has warned there is little they can do to assist those Australians in Iraq, estimated at possibly more than 2000.
ISIL, also known as ISIS, stunned the world last week when it seized the major Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a lightning offensive, sending government forces and civilians fleeing for safety.
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