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Australia will push for reform of the United Nations arm tasked with ensuring international peace and stability across the world.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told the UN General Assembly on Saturday Australia will push for the UN Security Council to make room for other "small and medium-sized" countries from Africa, Latin America and Asia.

The council currently comprises five permanent member states with veto power - China, Russia, France, the UK and the US - and 10 non-permanent members, five of which are elected each year by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

Senator Wong also took aim at the veto powers of permanent members, particularly Russia and China which tend to vote in favour of each other.

"It was never intended that the Security Council veto power would be used to enable unchecked abuse of the UN Charter by the very countries that were given the veto," Senator Wong said.

Russia has used its permanent seat on the council to veto moves to end or condemn its invasion of Ukraine.

Senator Wong said the world was looking to China to pressure Russia to cool its nuclear threats and end its war on Ukraine.

"The death and destruction in Ukraine reminds us all how much we have to lose if we fail to protect the UN Charter," she said.

"It reminds us that each nation must make its own choices and exercise its own agency ... and we cannot be passive when big powers flout the rules."

Australia is also seeking a seat on the council for two years from 2029 to 2030.

"We seek reform of the Security Council with greater permanent representation for Africa, Latin America and Asia, including India and Japan," Senator Wong said.

"Being genuinely committed to the United Nations means being genuinely committed to reforming the United Nations and keeping it vital."

Senator Wong also painted a grim picture of a world on the brink, with widespread poverty and food insecurity.

"The world has experienced disasters and conflict in the past, but the intensity and confluence of today's challenges in an interconnected world are without precedent," she said.

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