A clutch of allegedly hard-partying Australian soldiers has been hauled out of training in north Queensland after testing positive to the drug ecstasy.

The four soldiers were on manoeuvres at High Range, a training ground west of Townsville, when their superiors received the positive test results late in August, 7NEWS Townsville has reported.

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The results came only days after the army used the training facility to showcase its soldiers' professionalism to elite troops from around the world.

A total of five soldiers - the four who were training and one other - must now convince their superiors why they shouldn't be ejected from the military under its zero-tolerance drugs policy.

The soldiers are all from the Townsville-based 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, which has recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Australian commandos at High Range during joint training with US Marine helicopter gunships on August 14. Credit: 2nd Commando Regiment Multimedia Technician / Commonwealth of Australia

The Australian Defence Force says there is no requirement to involve the civilian police in the investigation.

"The ADF work closely with their civilian counterparts on such matters," it told 7NEWS Townsville.

Chevron Right Icon 'Defence ... has a zero-tolerance policy.'

"However, there is no requirement for the ADF to refer this matter to the civilian police.

"Defence takes all incidents of this nature very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy to the use of prohibited substances."

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During July and August, High Range was used to display Australia's "high end" ability in the Talisman Sabre wargames with forces from the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.

It is not the first drug scandal to rock the defence establishment in Townsville.

Six members of the prestigious 5th Aviation Regiment, which has flown attack helicopters over Afghanistan, were discharged in 2018 after testing positive to drugs including cocaine and ecstasy.

The 5th Aviation Regiment was caught up in a drug scandal in 2018. Credit: Ashey Roach / Department of Defence

The Defence Department operates a parallel justice system that is designed to help chiefs enforce discipline.

The system offers several safeguards that civilian courts don't offer, such as guaranteed free legal advice, but is less transparent to public scrutiny.