The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are treating a dossier of allegations of war crimes committed in Sri Lanka as a matter of urgency, commissioner Tony Negus says.
Mr Negus said the submission was only handed to the AFP on Friday and ran to some 500 pages.
"We asked for that to be assessed as a matter of urgency," he told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, adding that it was difficult to indicate a time frame for any decision.
"But it is being treated seriously," he said.
The extensive submission, prepared by the Australian section of the International Commission of Jurists, details what is described as "direct and credible evidence" of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed at the conclusion of Sri Lanka's bitter civil war at the end of 2009.
The report names no names but makes specific allegations of misconduct by the Sri Lankan government armed forces.
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and other senior officials will be in Australia next week to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth.
Mr Negus said in the case of visits to Australia by people accused of war crimes, any investigation would depend on the circumstances and also the jurisdictions involved.
"As far as war crimes generally, we do take them seriously," he said.
"But they are complex legal areas, particularly where most of the evidence that can be obtained is usually offshore and we need to make sure there is a reasonable chance of the matter progressing."
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