From The Australian :

Australia believes action should be taken against rogue states when multilateral diplomacy fails, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told the United Nations today.

In a speech to the UN in New York, Mr Downer said diplomacy and multilateral processes were only useful if they achieved an effective end.

[...]

Mr Downer said collectivity should not serve as a mantra that is an obstacle to effective action.

"Sometimes the most effective means of preserving security and indeed international law occur alongside the traditional mechanisms of multilateral diplomacy," Mr Downer said.

"Australia is a strong supporter of multilateral institutions and processes but only insofar as they are a means to an effective end.

"The major global disarmament and non-proliferation treaties remain critical to setting norms of international order, but ultimately those instruments must be enforced."

Mr Downer defended Australia's involvement in the war against Iraq and in exercises with the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

The PSI could lead to the interception of boats from North Korea suspected of smuggling weapons of mass destruction and other contraband.

"States are not merely entitled but obliged to take action to uphold those norms, especially when the transfer of WMD outside internationally agreed frameworks is involved," Mr Downer said.

"The conviction that states must uphold international norms, particularly in relation to WMD, led Australia to join the coalition to disarm Iraq in the same way we have recently joined with others in the Proliferation Security Initiative."