National security is again on the government's agenda as Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton makes a fresh push to ban foreign fighters from returning home for up to two years.
As Parliament resumes on Monday for its first full fortnight of sittings since the election, Mr Dutton, who has described the laws as "urgent", wants the legislation passed by the end of the week.
The laws were first put forward before the election, but a review by the powerful Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security recommended a raft of changes to reduce the minister's power and increase oversight.
Revised legislation introduced to Parliament earlier this month adopted in part, or in full, 16 of the 18 recommendations to amend the bill made by the committee.
Labor and key crossbench party Centre Alliance are concerned the government is ignoring key recommendations, including removing the power to grant a Temporary Exclusion Order from the minister's hands and hand it to a judge instead.
Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick plans to move an amendment to remove the exemption from parliamentary scrutiny granted to the nation's security agencies.
"Time and again governments have asked the Parliament to give them new national security powers," Senator Patrick said.
"Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and his security portfolio agencies now exercise an array of powers greater than any of those exercised by any government since the national emergency of the Second World War."
Labor has said it supports the legislation in principle, but is not ruling out moving amendments to limit Mr Dutton's power.
News Corp newspapers reported 40 Australians who joined Islamic state and other extremist military groups fighting in Syria and Iraq are now back home.
Government Minister Karen Andrews said the number of returning foreign fighters showed the need for the new laws.
"I think it is important that we proceed to the temporary exclusion orders," Industry and Science Minister Karen Andrews told Sky News on Sunday.
The recommendations made by the committee included changing responsibility for approving the temporary exclusion orders from the minister to a judge, as occurs in the UK.
Mr Dutton's spokeperson confirmed the legislation would require a minister’s decision to issue a temporary exclusion order to be referred to a reviewing authority.
