Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has told Australian travellers in Syria to leave as soon as possible.

"Don't go. If you're there, use commercial aircraft to get out. That's what we're saying to Australian citizens," Mr Rudd said in London.

He said Australia has four consular officials on the ground in the Syrian capital Damascus to help Australians leaving the country in the wake of recent violence.

Human rights group Amnesty International says at least 55 people are believed to have been killed since protests erupted in and around the southern Syrian city of Deraa two weeks ago.

They are part of the 450 believed killed in violence across the country amid anti-government protests.

There are 300 Australian registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) as being in Syria and Mr Rudd said officials had contacted most of them.

"The Australian Government, together with those of France and the United Kingdom, condemn absolutely the deployment of violence by the Syrian regime against its own people," he said.

He said it was time the international community considered imposing sanctions on Syria.

"Furthermore, we believe it's important that all countries of the world register through normal diplomatic means their views about the actions taken by the regime against their civilians."

He said the senior Syrian official in Australia was called in to register Australia's "fundamental opposition" to the violence being meted out by the regime to its own people.

Mr Rudd also plans to write to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, asking him to appoint a special envoy to Syria to find out exactly what is happening on the ground.

Mr Rudd was in London meeting the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Perth in October.

He said the group maintained its decision to suspend Fiji from the Commonwealth as a result of the 2006 military coup.

"The reason being that we have seen no measurable change whatsoever by the Fiji military regime, in terms of the restoration of democracy in that country," Mr Rudd said.