An Australian soldier has been wounded by a roadside bomb while on patrol near An Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.

The infantryman - a member of the Queensland-based 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment - was travelling in an armoured Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle which was hit by a suspected IED (improvised explosive device) on Saturday morning (AEST), according to the Department of Defence.

The unidentified soldier, who was serving in Iraq as part of the Overwatch Battle Group in Dhi Qar Province, suffered shrapnel wounds and was evacuated to a coalition-run medical facility, defence force chief Angus Houston says.

"Other members of the patrol secured the area quickly and carried out first aid to treat shrapnel wounds to the soldier's upper body," Air Chief Marshall Houston says.

"He was then evacuated from the scene via helicopter and is currently receiving treatment in a coalition hospital in Tallil."

Soldier's condition

Air Chief Marshall Houston says the soldier's condition was serious but stable, adding his family had been notified.

"IEDs are indiscriminate weapons that not only threaten our troops but innocent Iraqi civilians who use these areas," he says.

"Patrolling by the Overwatch Battle Group in coordination with US and Iraqi Security Forces has reduced IED attacks significantly.

"Although Iraq remains a dangerous place, IED attacks in Dhi Qar Province remain at an all-time low."