As first revealed byThe Sunday Age andThe Sun-Herald in March this year,Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and his department have been working on a plan to remove ASIO's controversial power to detain people for up to a week and beef up its compulsory question powers to catch agents of foreign influence.
Laws that came into effect in 2003 gave ASIO powers to obtain warrants to question a person under compulsion for up to 24 hours in relation to a potential terrorism offence,or to detain and question them for up to seven days.
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Under the bill introduced to Parliament by Mr Dutton on Wednesday,the questioning and detention power - which has never been used - will be removed.
The questioning power will be beefed up to ensure people attend and it will be extended to espionage,foreign interference and politically motivated violence.
The move to widen the counter-terrorism laws comes assecurity agencies warn the level of espionage and foreign interference in Australia is at unprecedented levels.
Parliament's intelligence and security committee will review the proposed changes.