Security around Parliament House in Canberra has been boosted in the wake of the shooting attack in Canada, which Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says bears the hallmarks of an Islamic State terrorist attack.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the attack was "further confirmation" of the threat to "free countries" and "free institutions".
The Canadian capital, Ottawa, has been gripped by fear after at least one gunman shot and killed a soldier at the National War Memorial before opening fire at the country's Parliament.
Politicians, including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, took shelter in offices and were told to barricade the doors. The gunman was shot dead by the Parliament's sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers.
The shooting follows the death of another Canadian soldier earlier in the week after a man rammed his car into two soldiers in the Quebec town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. One of the soldiers later died.
Ms Bishop sent a text message to her Canadian counterpart John Baird at 4am. He told her he was 50 feet (15 metres) away when the gunmen was shot in the Hall of Honour, where Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently met Mr Harper.
"The body was lying just outside the door where [Mr Baird] was," Ms Bishop said. "He is safe but clearly very shaken by what is a shocking incident. This is grim news indeed.
"It is too early to say the motivation of this attack but it does have the hallmarks of a terrorist attack in the sense that, in the past, terrorist organisations, including ISIL, have indicated they would target countries like Canada, Australia... any country that opposes its murderous and brutal ideology.
"This is a shocking event, it's clearly shaken Canada and it does remind us that this kind of violence can happen at any time."
Security officials met Parliament's presiding officers just before the beginning of Parliament on Thursday.
Mr Abbott began question time with a ministerial statement on the Ottawa attack which he said was an "affront" on Australia's Parliament because of what he says is Australia's cultural closeness to Canada.
"I have been in their Parliament. I have been in the their War Memorial," the Prime Minister said
"I regard Stephen Harper, their Prime Minister, as a friend and almost a brother. So an attack on their Parliament is an affront to this Parliament, too."
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Abbott said: "Australians woke this morning to further confirmation that the threat to free countries and free institutions is very real indeed."
The Prime Minister said authorities were in a "good position" to response to any "hostile acts" in Parliament.
"Whatever happens, this must always be the people's house," the Prime Minister later told a gathering of students and table-tennis athletes.
Defence Force Chief Mark Binskin said the deaths of two Canadian soldiers had caused "some anxiety" for Australian Defence members and their families and urged members of the military to "exercise commonsense and judgment" when wearing their uniforms in public.
"This is not the time for alarm but we should not be complacent about our personal safety," the Air Chief Marshal wrote on Facebook.
"Think about where you're going, be aware of your surroundings, and exercise commonsense and judgment when considering where and when to wear your uniform in public," he advised
Extra Australian Federal Police patrols are being conducted around the Canadian High Commission in Canberra and the Parliamentary triangle in the wake of the Ottawa shooting.
But Speaker Bronwyn Bishop reassured MPs, in a statement to Parliament, that a similar style attack would be very unlikely to succeed in Australia's Parliament.
"The images showing action and barricading themselves into the chamber in Canada are of concern, the range of armed response and security lockdown arrangements that we have in place means that this type of action will not be necessary here," she said.
"Our Parliament and its perimeter are very different in the design to the Canadian parliament.
"We have a number of layers and security measures designed to protect building occupants."
Nevertheless, the Speaker said Parliament House staff would notice an increase in the security arrangements on Thursday.
Parliament House security was dramatically increased after the terror threat warning was increased in September.
Police armed with "long range weapons" began guarding Parliament and access to restricted areas, including the ministerial wing has been severely curtailed.
The Foreign Minister spoke to the Canadian high commissioner to Canberra, Michael Small, on Thursday morning.
Australia's embassy in Canada was locked down during the shooting. Staff were later told they could leave on foot to return home.
Ms Bishop confirmed the powerful national security committee of cabinet will meet to discuss the attack later on Thursday.
