Department talking points revealed through a freedom of information request say it has no plans to collaborate with the United States on investigating unidentified aerial phenomena - an official term for UFOs covering unexplained objects seen in the sky, and often abbreviated to UAP.

It follows a US government report on UFOs published last year that found there was insufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects observed by fighter pilots - including whether they are advanced earthly technologies, atmospherics, or extra-terrestrial.

The Defence Department talking points show the department remains sceptical about UFOs.

"There is no evidence to suggest that UAP [unidentified aerial phenomena] would be extra-terrestrial in origin," the departmental talking points say.

"UAP are likely to be one of three things, natural or other benign phenomena, anomalies with sensors or (human-made) technologies.

"Information on the human-made technologies is classified and the remit of the intelligence community."

The US report, submitted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a US Navy-led task force to Congress, covered 144 observations of UAP dating back to 2004.

"UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to US national security," the report said.

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It also found the phenomena probably lacked a single explanation.

"In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics," it said.

"These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis."

The recently released Australian Defence Department document said it was not aware of unidentified aerial phenomena being the cause of any aviation safety incident "or featured prominently in a safety investigation".

It said it had no policy for recording or reporting unidentified aerial phenomena after Australia's air force stopped handling reports about sightings in 1996.

UFO sightings became so common by the 1970s that the Royal Australian Air Force, which was then responsible for investigating such phenomena, started providing pro forma questionnaires to members of the public making reports.

However the RAAF stopped handling UFO reports after "determining there was no scientific or other compelling reason to continue to devote resources to the recording and investigation of UAP", the Defence talking points say.

"If civilians wish to report UAP they should contact their local police authorities, or get in contact with a civil UFO research organisation," the talking points say.

While the Australian government is looking to deepen its military relationship with the US, its main ally, it appears that the partnership won't extend into understanding or explaining UFOs.

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The Defence talking points say that to date, neither the US nor any other nation or ally has requested or offered to collaborate with Australia on UAP reporting or investigation.

"Defence will not pursue international collaboration on the subject of UAP," the document says.

The department also has no plans to replicate a new US government agency that coordinates reporting of airborne objects across the US Department of Defense and other American agencies, to minimise the risk to flight safety and national security.

Defence said federal agencies - including the defence aviation safety authority and its civilian counterpart - already served this role.

UFOs have preoccupied federal government departments in previous decades, prompting an investigation into sightings near the nuclear weapons testing range at Maralinga in South Australia.

The National Archives has published a confidential two-page report detailing sightings in July 1960 of a UFO in the area.

The report, written that month by a security officer and part of a Department of Supply file on the Weapons Research Establishment in South Australia, concluded it was not possible to identify the source of the UAP.

"It is felt, however, that the light was the result of either a meteor or static electricity," it said.