Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has refused to rule out Australia taking on a greater military role in Syria in the wake of the Islamic State's deadly assault on Paris, but says ultimately there must be a political solution to the conflict.
Mr Turnbull, ahead of talks with Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at the G20 summit in Turkey, where the crisis in Syria and coordinated attacks in Paris were set to dominate, also played down the terror threat posed by the exodus of refugees from the conflict zone.
The attacks on a sports stadium, a concert venue and other locations around Paris by three teams of IS operatives which have left at least 129 people dead, and hundreds more injured, including a young Tasmanian woman, have been declared an act of war by French President Francois Hollande.
At least one of the attackers is believed to have infiltrated Europe among the hundreds of thousands that have fled the conflict zone, with Greek police saying one man with a possible connection to the atrocity had registered as a refugee earlier this year.
Asked on Sunday whether Australia's involvement in the Middle East heightened domestic risk, Mr Turnbull said "we cannot allow our national security or our national security policies to be dictated to by terrorists".
"They want us to bend to their will and we will not," he said.
"At this stage, the advice is that there is no need to change the alert level that is being monitored constantly."
The prime minister told reporters he agreed with Mr Hollande that the crisis resembled a war.
"It's guns and bombs - yes it does look like a war," Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Turnbull did not rule out Australia contributing more in the military campaign against IS but that it would be done in coordination with allies.
"Australia is making a very significant contribution ... and will consider what future contributions and what the shape of it will be in the light of those discussions," he said.
But asked about whether Australia, for example, could send in special forces, Mr Turnbull said: "The most effective boots on the ground are going to be Syrian boots on the ground."
The US, China, Russia, France and the UK - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - have pledged to back a council resolution to empower a peacekeeping mission in some of the safer parts of Syria.
Mr Turnbull said he was willing to consider a peacekeeping role for Australia.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten said there would need to be a "peace plan and a peace deal before you can send peacekeepers".
Among the more than 350 people injured in the attacks in Paris was Australian Emma Parkinson.
The Tasmanian is recovering in hospital after being shot in the hip when four gunmen opened fire in the Bataclan theatre.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed there were still no reported Australian deaths, but said security operations were ongoing.
Australians should re-think the need to travel to Paris, she said.
