As America retreats on global climate change action, Australia and the European Union could be poised to help fill a leadership vacuum.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop flagged the move at a gala dinner for the inaugural EU-Australia Leadership Forum in Sydney on Sunday night.

"I see another leadership role for the Australia-EU partnership and that is in the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change," Ms Bishop said.

She also believes there is scope for collaboration between citizens, scientists and policy makers on coming up with ideas for affordable, reliable low emissions energy to drive economies.

"We are like-minded countries, and while geography may divide us, our shared values unite us," Ms Bishop said.

US President Donald Trump's announcement his country will leave the 197-nation Paris climate agreement has left much of the world reeling.

Under the deal reached in late 2015, countries have pledged to submit and review five-yearly plans to slash their emissions to limit global warming to below two degrees, with an aspiration target of keeping it to 1.5 degrees.

The US departure leaves a leadership void in settling the rules and norms to give force to the agreement, but China and the EU have been quick to reaffirm their commitments.

Back in Australia, the Turnbull government faces some internal pressure to follow the US but Ms Bishop and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have rejected that notion.

"My understanding is that a vast majority of our party room support the government policy, indeed the entire cabinet supports government policy," Ms Bishop told Sky News on Sunday.

"If anybody wants to change government policy there is a process we go through and that is to debate it in the party room, to debate it in the cabinet - not to debate it through the media."