PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says Libya must release detained Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor.

"We are calling on the Libyan Government to expedite the end of Ms Taylor's detention," she said in Canberra today.

"We want to see Ms Taylor's detention come to an end as soon as possible."

Ms Taylor, a 36-year-old mother of one, was arrested on Thursday while representing Seif al-Islam, the son of the late former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

She is one of four International Criminal Court (ICC) staff being held in Libya.

Ms Gillard said Australia would work with the government's of Spain, Russia and Lebanon to press for the release of Ms Taylor and the three others.

They are ICC senior adviser Alexander Khodakov, head of counsel support Esteban Peralta Losilla and translator Helene Assaf.