Incoming foreign minister Julie Bishop has welcomed a "significant" deal between the US and Russia that could see Syria stripped of its chemical weapons.
The new accord gives Syria a week to provide details of its chemical weapons stockpile, and requires that international inspectors are given complete access to them.
The goal is to have the weapons removed by the middle of next year, but Barack Obama has warned if Syria doesn't uphold its end of the bargain the US could still use military force.
Ms Bishop on Sunday said the deal was a "positive step in the right direction", and praised the US over its handling of the crisis.
"It is as a result, I believe, of the United States making it quite clear that they would use military force if need be," she told Network Ten on Sunday.
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Australia has assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council until the end of the month, and could be called to act on behalf of countries pushing the case for a strike against Syria.
Syria's ally Russia would likely veto any such motion, but Ms Bishop said in the past the president of the council had been asked to prepare a statement on behalf of the majority of nations.
"First things first, we want to see how this agreement between the US and Russia plays out," she said.
