IS not planning to go away says Payne

Islamic State is not a group of extremists planning to go away with their looming defeat in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Defence Minister Marise Payne says.

Senator Payne, who has been in Paris for a meeting of defence ministers from the coalition fighting against IS, said Australia and coalition partners, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, would be battling against manifestations of IS for many a long day to come.

"The advance on Mosul is a significant step but it's not the end. This is not a group of extremists that is planning to go away," she told ABC television.

Senator Payne said the assault on Mosul was going very much as planned, though this remained complex politically and militarily.

"This is an ongoing challenge, both in the Middle East and internationally against Daesh and its activities, both its overt military-type activities and those that it plays with underground," she said.

Once Mosul falls, that will leave IS territory in Syria, particularly its capital Raqqa.

Senator Payne said operations against Raqqa would depend on conditions on the ground and on arrangements with forces in Syria.

"We know that these are very significant undertakings. There is a likelihood that the demand on forces will increase, the closer we get to a move on Raqqa," she said.