Foreign Minister Bob Carr has reiterated his support for a US-led response to growing concerns over chemical weapon attacks in Syria.
The British Parliament yesterday voted against supporting any military strike, despite the US claiming to have clear evidence of these attacks.
The US has released intelligence which it says assesses with 'high confidence' that Syrian government forces killed 1,429 people in a chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week.
President Barack Obama has criticised what he has called is the incapacity of the United Nations Security Council to act on Syria.
He says his government is considering a limited military intervention against the country.
"In no event are we considering any kind of military action that would involve boots on the ground, that would involve a long-term campaign, but we are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act that would help make sure that not only Syria but others on the world understand that the international community cares about mantaining this chemical weapons ban."
Senator Carr says Australia has not been asked to contribute to America's response, but Australia supports America's plans.
"We think that if a government, in this day and age, uses chemical weapons against innocent men, women and children, it deserves a response. We're confident the Obama administration has weighed carefully what that response will be."
UN EXPERTS LEAVE DAMASCUS HOTEL AFTER WEAPONS PROBE
Meanwhile, a team of UN inspectors left their Damascus hotel in a convoy Saturday after completing their probe into the regime's alleged use of chemical weapons.
The 13 inspectors, led by Ake Sellstrom, loaded their luggage into seven UN vehicles before setting off from their hotel.
The team have been investigating allegations of the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people.
The UN experts' departure heightened expectations of a possible international military strike against the regime.
Angela Kane, the UN disarmament envoy who had visited Syria with the UN experts, left Damascus by car on Friday to the border with Lebanon.
She is expected to brief UN Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon in New York later Saturday.
The UN experts will "expedite" a report on whether chemical weapons have been used in Syria's civil war, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
Ban is ready to brief the UN Security Council on the investigation into the suspected chemical weapons attack this weekend if needed, the spokesman told a briefing in New York.
The UN chief detailed progress made by the inspection team during a meeting with UN ambassadors from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
"The team has completed its collection of samples and evidence," Nesirky told reporters.
The UN experts had been tasked with taking samples from the site of the alleged attack at Ghouta, near Damascus, to laboratories in Europe.
"Dr Sellstrom's team is doing its utmost to expedite the process of analysis," Nesirky said while stressing "the need for rigorous attention to maintain the integrity of the process."
The spokesman said that the eventual report written by the inspection team would be given to all UN member states.
