Among the ministers advocating a Christians-first policy were Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Senate leader Eric Abetz. RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets return after completing a combat mission over Iraq. Credit:Murray Staff Senator Abetz said: "It should be on the basis of need and given the Christians are the most persecuted group in the world, and especially in the Middle East, I think it stands to reason that they would be pretty high up on the priority list for resettlement." A decision on the humanitarian intake will be announced on Wednesday after advice is taken from Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, who has been in talks with UNHCR officials in Paris and Geneva over the past two days. The expanded air mission was considered a formality when it went before cabinet's national security committee, after the key ministers involved — Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Kevin Andrews — all indicated strong support.

Fairfax Media understands that bombing raids across the border are unlikely to happen immediately, as Defence will need to turn the government's decision into a set of operational guidelines. Not backing off super reforms: former cabinet minister Eric Abetz. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen That would involve considering whether the existing rules of engagement for Iraq will serve for Syria and what targeting guidelines will be established. These will then need to be explained to Australia's partners, notably the United States, which leads the mission command that tasks coalition planes. This could take some days. RAAF Hornets will then need to wait for an Islamic State target to be identified across the border and receive orders from the mission command in the Gulf. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's use of a private email account has been questioned. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The legal basis for the expansion, collective self-defence of Iraq, is already in place and does not require any work, sources said. The anticipated green light followed a formal request from the Obama White House, which itself had come after signalling from Canberra that such an invitation would be favourably received. Illustration: Ron Tandberg While many Liberals claim there has been a material shift in community sentiment in favour of higher immigration to help those dispossessed by civil war and genocidal terror, right-wing MPs complained that politicians were getting ahead of themselves and that too much compassion could strain the public tolerance of extra immigration. Tasmanian Liberal MP and deputy whip Andrew Nikolic reportedly said some MPs were trying to "out-compassion" each other.

Labor has called on the government to immediately announce a one-off 10,000-person intake, while the Greens believe it should be at least double that. Even some Liberals have gone further, with Ewen Jones of Queensland nominating a figure of 50,000. Seventeen government MPs spoke during the party room meeting, with most urging Mr Abbott to recognise that Australians have softened and were now inclined to do more for refugees than in the past. One MP said the mood in the room was mostly positive, with MPs urging Mr Abbott to ignore calls for piecemeal action or to restrict the intake by such means as accepting Christians only. Yet others said the government should restrict any special intake to women and children, with the underlying message being "no more Muslim men".

Before the meeting, conservative firebrand Liberal senator Cory Bernardi angered many by questioning the refugee bona fides of the family of the drowned Syrian toddler whose image has gone around the world. Follow us on Twitter