Claims that Tony Abbott wanted to dispatch a 3500-member combat force to fight Islamic State jihadists in Iraq are ridiculous, senior Liberal frontbencher Scott Morrison says.
The Weekend Australian newspaper on Saturday reported details of a meeting in November in which the prime minister allegedly raised the idea of unilaterally sending 3500 troops to help halt the surge of IS.
Mr Abbott has dismissed the report as false and fanciful.
And he was backed up by Mr Morrison, who as former immigration minister was on the national security committee at the time.
The report is "nonsense" and "silly", he told ABC Television on Sunday.
"These stories are getting ridiculous," he said.
"What's next? Will they suggest the prime minister had some plan to put a manned space mission to Mars or the Moon?"
Treasurer Joe Hockey has also described the report as "complete and utter rubbish", while Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has said it was "wrong".
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