NZ has no plans to join air strikes

The Abbott government will spend at least a week considering whether Australia should join the fight against Islamic State in Syria.

The Foreign Minister this morning said the situation in Iraq and Syria was “extremely complex” and careful consideration of a request from the United States for Australian jet fighters to be involved in operations in Syria was needed.

“This is an absolutely evil movement, and the question is if they don’t respect the border, why should we?”

“We will be seeking an explanation of the legal basis.

We’re obviously not going to rush a decision but we will make a decision in the next couple of weeks”, Tony Abbott said.

The US request, which local media reported was sent to the Australian embassy in Washington, DC, on Thursday, came as the Australian government said that it had stopped seven young suspected extremists from leaving the country this month to fight for militant groups in the Middle East.

“And under the principle of collective self-defence of Iraq and its people, the coalition have extended that self-defence into Syria because the border between Syria and Iraq is no longer governed”.

While there has been bipartisanship on tackling terrorism, some cracks are beginning to appear.

“(Tanya Plibersek) always takes another position”, she said.

“As there should be”, Mr Shorten told reporters.

The head of the joint intelligence parliamentary committee and Liberal MP Dan Tehan had called for an expansion of operations a week earlier.

‘I think that the Abbott government does need to take a hard look at the way these things get discussed in the public space… this is national security, it’s not a talkfest’.

The Government has committed to briefing the Opposition about the Pentagon’s request this week.

“We’ll take our own advice and we’ll assess that against the legal advice that the US and Canada and Jordan and the UAE are relying upon and indeed Turkey”, Ms Bishop said.