The Turnbull government has condemned a "reckless and menacing" intercontinental ballistic missile test by North Korea, which is the second test by the rogue state in the past month.

The latest missile test flew further and higher than the July 3 test and was described as a "stern warning" to the United States.  North Korea claims the test proves it can strike the US mainland and, therefore, potentially, the northern Australian city of Darwin.

Australia last month announced increased sanctions on North Korea and in a statement, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne criticised Friday's test in arguably the strongest language yet from the Australian government.

"The ballistic missile tests and North Korea's ongoing reckless and menacing behaviour, are in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, is a threat to regional and global security and stability and is in violation of the rules based order we seek to promote and advance," they said.

"Australia urges strong UN Security Council action in response to these tests. We call on all countries to implement existing UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea as a matter of urgency.

"Australia also urges China to use its considerable leverage to dissuade North Korea from continuing to conduct these tests in order to develop its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

China has argued it is doing what it can to pressure North Korea, but Western nations say it should do more to bring the rogue state to heel  because it is North Korea's principal ally and major trading partner.

North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program was illegal, the statement from Mr Turnbull, Ms Bishop and Ms Payne said, and Australia supported defensive measures that had been taken, such as the deployment of the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence in South Korea as a "necessary response to the threat posed by North Korea's behaviour and policies".

"The escalation of regional tension is entirely the responsibility of the North Korean regime," they said. "We will continue to work with our partners, including the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, to impose costs on the regime in order to stop its threatening and destabilising behaviour."

Earlier this month, former prime minister Kevin Rudd said Australia needed to consider deploying a missile defence system to defend against any attack from nuclear-armed North Korea.

This was a reversal of his position in government and the call was backed by top regional security and defence experts.

Earlier this week US Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, said the world might simply have to accept North Korea as a fully fledged nuclear power. Those comments underscore just how difficult it would actually be to stop North Korea's program, and they come after US President Donald Trump claimed a nuclear North Korea would not happen.

On Friday, Mr Trump said the US would "take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region". 

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Saturday that South Korea and the United States had followed up by staging a ballistic missile exercise.