New opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Helen Coonan says she wouldn't back sending more Australian troops to Afghanistan without knowing much more about the situation.
Neither, she said, would she endorse a policy of pre-emptive strikes into Pakistan without knowing the full circumstances.
Senator Coonan said Australia, with more than 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, was already the largest non-NATO contributor of forces.
She said troops were doing a terrific job in very dangerous circumstances.
"Oruzgan province is not a walk in the park and they are operating both in terms of maintaining security and doing a lot of very effective work there building the country," she said on Sky News.
Senator Coonan said the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan needed to be kept under review.
"I wouldn't support - without knowing a great deal more and I haven't had the briefing - sending more Australian troops," she said.
In the US presidential debate yesterday, Democrat candidate Barak Obama said the US should conduct a pre-emptive strike on terrorist leaders in Pakistan should that country's government decline to act. Republican candidate John McCain said such things shouldn't be said out loud.
Senator Coonan said she doubted Australia would be in the position of making such a difficult decision.
"I don't even know that we would be consulted about it," she said.
"I don't think you can just say without knowing a lot about the circumstances. Along the border with Pakistan it has become incredibly tribal, it is very dangerous. It's probably become the epicentre of terrorism now with the resurgence of al-Qaeda."
Senator Coonan said she understood Senator Obama also suggested that aid could be withdrawn from Pakistan.
"I wouldn't support that at all. I do think that you have to use every opportunity and every tool at your disposal to continue to engage with Pakistan and to continue to support the democratically elected government," she said.
