The 12,000 refugees bound for Australia from war-torn Syria will be vetted in the most thorough way amid fears Islamic State fighters could take advantage of the humanitarian offering to sneak into the country.
As authorities in France continue to hunt for an eighth suspect wanted over the outrage in Paris that has left around 130 people dead and scores more injured, Justice Minister Keenan on Monday moved to reassure Australians the threat from terrorism here had not "fundamentally" changed.
Speaking after a briefing from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team at the Australian Federal Police headquarters in Sydney, Mr Keenan said the threat in Europe was different to that in Australia "even though all these events are clearly linked".
"If there was a requirement to inform the Australian people about a further deterioration within the environment, then we would obviously do that," Mr Keenan said.
"But at the moment the advice from our agencies is things haven't fundamentally changed even though we were starting from a relatively low base in terms of the security situation with the threat level being high".
Calls for a rethink of plans to resettle fleeing Syrians came after a passport, found near the body of one attacker, carried the name of a Syrian refugee.
But Mr Keenan said it was always going to be the case they would be vetted "in the most thorough way".
"The point about the refugees that we will take is that we will be completely and utterly in charge of that process, who we take and the time when we take them," he said.
His comments came after NSW Nationals MP Andrew Fraser on Monday posted on Facebook: "Message to Malcolm Turnbull: Australia does not need Middle Eastern refugees or Islamic boat people!"
The first of the Australia-bound refugees - a family of five - is due to arrive in the next 24 hours.
Attorney-General George Brandis rejected Mr Fraser's call, saying the "worst thing we could do is to alienate the Muslim community".
In Sydney, prominent Australian Muslim leader Jamal Rifi said the assault in Paris and the fallout would "test every and each one of us, and it's going to test us as a nation".
"It's like we are drowning in a sea of hate and every time we get our heads above water, something else happens to pull us down," he told AAP.
But the extremists behind the attacks, and other acts of terror, "are only Islamic by name", he said.
Authorities are still alert to the possibility Paris could inspire similar attacks in Australia.
Senator Brandis warned of the potential for the Paris attacks to encourage "other like-minded people" living in Australia.
"The national security agencies and the police are very alert to ensure there isn't any copycat behaviour in Australia," he said.
About 400 individuals in Australia remain under the watch of security agencies.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia would risk caving into the fearmongering of terrorists if it turned away refugees.
Ms Bishop said she did not agree with calls to close the nation's borders following the deadly Paris attacks, saying stringent screening and vetting processes were in place for all refugee arrivals.
"Australia is an open tolerant, free society - that would be caving into the extremists and terrorists who want to change our way of life," she told reporters in Manila on Monday.
Ms Bishop says reports a refugee was among the Paris attackers have yet to be confirmed by French authorities.
