Prime Minister Tony Abbott has stepped up his rhetoric to prepare Australians for a possible intervention in chaos-torn Iraq, saying "no human being" should ignore the "slaughter of innocent people".
Amid continuing reports of massacres in the country's north, Mr Abbott has painted a grim picture of the persistent threat of genocide by the brutal Islamic State, laying the case for intervention.
While sticking to a previous statement that no official request for help has yet come from the United States, Mr Abbott indicated Australia would be prepared to contribute militarily if the mission purpose had clear humanitarian goals and the risk to military personnel was acceptable.
"Should we be asked, we would want to look at any request in the light of achievable objectives, a clear role for Australian forces, a full risk assessment and an overall humanitarian objective," he said in Parliament.
"But I do wish to say … that no one in this Parliament I am sure, no human being anywhere, would wish to stand by and watch the preventable slaughter of innocent people."
Mr Abbott said of the Sunni extremist Islamic State: "This is as near to pure evil as we are ever likely to see."
The Abbott government is understood to be willing to contribute to an air strike campaign in Iraq against the militants. A contribution of Super Hornet fighter jets is being considered, but the US may not require this type of support, in which case a more likely offering would be air-to-air refuellers and surveillance aircraft.
It also came as the government continues its efforts to win the support of the Muslim community for new counterterrorism laws, amid concerns about one proposal to create terrorism no-go zones, meaning travellers to hot spots such as parts of Syria or Iraq would have to prove they were not terrorists.
Attorney-General George Brandis said he would meet with Muslim community leaders in Sydney on Friday and in Melbourne next week to discuss the proposed laws.
The Prime Minister also told Parliament that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison had signed an agreement with the US to share information on airline passengers of concern, following revelations that five people suspected of terrorism links had been pulled off flights recently, including two in the past week.
Mr Abbott said the agreement would "make it easier to monitor people on national security watchlists" and insisted that "data-sharing will take place in conformity with both countries' privacy laws".
But Mr Morrison's office on Thursday night did not respond to Fairfax Media's request for a copy of the agreement.
Defence Minister David Johnston told the ABC on Wednesday night that Australia's military was in a "high state of readiness", but added there was a long way to go before aircraft were deployed, including awaiting a more inclusive Iraqi government, which will not happen until at least September 10 when the new Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, takes power.
But sources told Fairfax Media that could change rapidly in the face of fresh evidence of massacres by the Islamic State or another public murder of an American, following the beheading of journalist James Foley.
Australia has so far provided only humanitarian support in the form of an air-drop to stranded Yazidi refugees.
Fairfax Media understands that the Pine Gap facility in central Australia is being used to direct drone strikes against militants in Iraq. And the US is understood to have asked Australia, along with other countries, about a fortnight ago to consider providing weapons and equipment to Kurds in northern Iraq who are battling the Islamic State.
