Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned "credible military force" would be used, if necessary, to deter the spread of authoritarianism in the Indo-Pacific.
In an address to the United States Studies Centre, Mr Dutton warned of "ominous signs" stemming from a Chinese-Russian alliance, saying Australia and the US would step up to shape the Indo-Pacific around mutual interests.
"Australia and the United States are in lock-step in our commitment to regional stability," he told the forum.
The defence minister targeted China directly, saying the communist country may seek to use the conflict in Ukraine as "a useful distraction and an opportunity to pursue their own acts of aggression and coercion."
"This threat emanates chiefly from Beijing, which has its own openly stated territorial ambitions, and which recently entered a 'no-limits' cooperative partnership with the Kremlin," Mr Dutton said.
Labor defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor told the USSC the ALP would seek to maintain strategic ambiguity over Taiwan - which China is seeking to integrate.
It follows comments from the defence minister, who said it would be "inconceivable" Australia would not back US troops in a military conflict over the island.
"This is because declaring intended military action in response to hypothetical situations only serves to tilt the strategic calculation in favour of those who seek to instigate conflict," Mr O'Connor said.
But Labor leader Anthony Albanese said China needed to be called out for stance on Ukraine, after Beijing failed to condemn Russia's invasion and offered Russia economic lifelines as global sanctions cripple its economy.
"China has a responsibility to call out Russia's behaviour and its aggression," Mr Albanese said.
"It's outrageous. It's against international law and it should be called out by all countries, including China, which has a particular responsibility due to its closeness to Russia and also because it's a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council."
Mr Dutton further warned of the possibility Australia would be targeted by escalating cyber-attacks, following its support of Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
"The Kremlin has long sought to weaponise the internet as a means of conducting a form of asymmetric warfare in the post-Soviet era," he said.
Mr Dutton also labelled Russia's invasion an "unprecedented disaster" that could destroy President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president would be evaluating the costs and outcomes of the conflict in Ukraine to determine his next steps as the fight, he added.
A united West - in defiance of the response Mr Putin was expecting following the invasion - was the only thing standing between "liberty and the abyss", Mr Dutton said.
"Today, it is the Ukrainian people fighting to defend their freedoms against extinction," he added.
"If President Putin succeeds, all free nations will face a darker tomorrow."
It comes as the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning President Putin as a war criminal.
The US has placed a fresh round of sanctions on Russian military leaders and suspected human rights abusers, as well as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
US President Joe Biden is also planning to visit European NATO allies for the first time since the invasion began.
But as Russian troops edge closer to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was unlikely the country would be joining NATO.
"We have heard for many years about the open doors, but we also heard that we can't enter those doors," he said.
"This is the truth, and we have simply to accept it as it is."
Mr Zelensky will address the US Congress on Wednesday (AEST), likely in a bid for more help.
with Reuters
