Australia, India, Japan and the US are looking at issues of "common interest", but not aiming at creating a new security alliance, a top Australian Foreign Affairs official said in Melbourne.

Jennifer Rawson, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told a Senate Estimates Committee that officials from the four nations had met recently for preliminary discussions, The Age reported on Monday.

"Officials from these countries are looking at issues of common interest," she said.

But she said the discussions, which were sought by Japan, were not about creating a new security bloc.

"It is a meeting of four countries who share values and growing co-operation," Rawson said.

"The discussions are not about a security dialogue or alliance," she said.

There are suggestions that any move to add India to the security alliance among US, Japan and Australia could be seen as a threat by China.

Australia, the US and Japan are already involved in a trilateral security dialogue.