Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed Australia has discussed with its allies expanding RAAF bombing raids against the Islamic State from Iraq into Syria and hinted he favours doing so, saying "the morality is the same" on either side of the border. 
While insisting that no formal request from the United States has been made, nor any decision taken by the government, Mr Abbott confirmed discussions about an expansion of the RAAF's mission have taken place.
"While the legality is different, whether these air strikes are taking place in Syria or Iraq, the morality is the same," Mr Abbott said on Thursday morning in Canberra.
"The death cult is just as evil on either side of the border."
Mr Abbott refused to go into detail but said "obviously there have been some approaches made at various levels".
"No formal request has been made. No decision has been taken. ... I do remind people that all along what we've said, what we've done, with opposition support, has been to pull our weight in the international campaign against this death cult."
Also on Thursday, Defence Minister Kevin Andrews revealed Australian forces would soon be helping direct deadly drone strikes against Islamic State targets, including in Syria.
He told ABC radio the RAAF has "a small number of our Air Force personnel who are embedded with the United States Air Force units that are responsible for operating unmanned aircraft that support coalition operations in Iraq and Syria".
He said they hadn't begun working yet but would start soon. American drones killed notorious Australian jihadist Mohamed Elomar recently in Syria.
Mr Abbott and Mr Andrews were speaking after Liberal MP Dan Tehan, who chairs a high-powered parliamentary committee on intelligence and security, issued a call for Australian planes to expand strikes from Iraq to neighbouring Syria as part of an international effort to step up the campaign against IS.
Fairfax Media understands Australia is likely at some stage to commit to the expansion with one senior source saying it was probably a matter of "when not if".
Labor quickly signalled it is unlikely to support expanding bombing raids into Syria, threatening what has until now been a major-party consensus on the fight.
Labor deputy leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday morning there was no legal basis for Australian air strikes in Syria and added that Mr Abbott himself had made the same point in the past.
Fairfax Media understands that any expansion is likely to target IS supply lines between Syria and Iraq, rather than taking RAAF planes deep into the heart of the terror group's territory.
The legal basis would therefore be that the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq is emanating from neighbouring Syria, justifying crossing the border to tackle that threat.
While the focus for ADF operations to counter Daesh remains Iraq, a small number of RAAF personnel are now contributing directly to coalition operations to counter Daesh in Syria as well as Iraq, consistent with long-standing arrangements for ADF personnel embedded in US units.