Care needed in talk about Islamic State: Turnbull

Islamic State seeks to attract recruits by playing on an image of invincibility, and politicians need to make sure they aren't amplifying that message, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says.

Mr Turnbull said IS wanted people to believe they were on the move, conquering, powerful and were frightening the west.

"The bigger they can appear, the more successful they think they will be in their recruiting," he told ABC television.

"So we have to be careful that we don't end up amplifying what they're doing by the way we talk about them. We need to be very objective and very measured and very balanced."

Mr Turnbull said his message about not overestimating IS and maintaining a balanced perspective was consistent with the views of US National Security adviser Susan Rice.

In a speech last week, he said IS wasn't Hitler's Germany, Tojo's Japan or Stalin's Russia, and Australia should be careful not to add to their delusions.

That contrasted with the tough language of Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the IS threat.

Mr Turnbull said the most important thing was to defeat IS in the field.

"That's the top priority but then we've also got to be very, very smart about the way we deal with it within Australia and make sure that our messages are not inadvertently reinforcing theirs," he said.