Former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone has joined frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull in raising a red flag over a federal government proposal to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals fighting for terrorist groups.
The government has defended its plan in the face of mounting criticism on Monday, with Assistant Education Minister Simon Birmingham saying the government made no apology for being tough on terrorism after Ms Vanstone labelled it as "profoundly dumb".
The former immigration minister said the idea of ministers having the power to take away people's rights without appeal shows a "profound misunderstanding of the Western democratic tradition".
She also criticised the way the idea was taken to cabinet without proper pros and cons being prepared by the department, saying it was "either lazy, sneaky or both".
"No appeal, no judicial process, just a ministerial decision. What were they thinking?" she wrote in Fairfax Media.
Senator Birmingham said the cabinet system was "alive and well" during the decision-making process.
"Ultimately we stand as one as a government behind the policies that we are convinced will help to strengthen the overall suite of measures being taken to protect Australians," he told Sky News.
Mr Turnbull said last week governments around the world need to get the balance right between upholding the rule of law and tackling extremists.
"It is not good enough that laws simply be tough, you know; this is not a bravado issue," Mr Turnbull said.
Meanwhile, former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr said he had considered the proposal himself when in government.
"If someone is leaving these shores with the pursuit of mass atrocity crimes, we are forced to contemplate this and we ought to probe the possibility of getting a consensus across parties, certainly excluding minors," he told Sky News.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Ms Vanstone's comments added to the disunity within the Liberal Party.
"It's official - there's a civil war going on in the Liberal Party today," he told reporters in Melbourne.
"If it's not Amanda Vanstone bagging out Tony Abbott, it's Malcolm Turnbull."
Labor has given in-principle support to the proposed changes but is waiting to see the details.
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