Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the downing of a Ukrainian plane over Iran was not an intentional act.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he believed an Iranian missile brought the plane down, killing 176 people, including 63 Canadian citizens.

Iran is being blamed for shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane which killed 176 people.

Mr Morrison said Australia had received similar intelligence to Canada and the United States about what happened to Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752.

"The intelligence that we have is similar to what our partners have, and that is there was nothing to suggest now at this point an intentional act," Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

"It's absolutely critical that a full and transparent investigation is undertaken into this terrible event and that would include undertaking all efforts to ensure we get recovery of the black box recorder that can obviously inform that investigation."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison: "There was nothing to suggest now at this point an intentional act." AAP

The Prime Minister is hoping to speak to officials in Ukraine later on Friday.

"It's a terrible, terrible event and we'll provide whatever support we can," he said.

Mr Morrison said Australia's airlines were operating within international guidelines about security when flying through the area.

The plane was brought down on Wednesday in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on US military bases in Iraq.