Former prime minister John Howard supports the federal government's proposed counter-terrorism laws, which civil liberties groups have described as an unjustified power grab.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott's plans to beef up counter-terrorism measures include making telecommunication companies hold on to customer metadata for two years.
The information can include phone numbers called, the time, date and duration of a call, the cell tower area and possibly the name and contact details of customers.
The new laws would also allow the government to blacklist areas such as Syria and Iraq so people who travel to those zones would have to prove they went for humanitarian or family reasons, not to fight.
Mr Howard said the government was correct to be concerned about the jihadist threat from people who had gone to other countries.
"The challenge of terrorism in our modern world is far from behind us," Mr Howard said on Thursday.
"It's not a particularly agreeable subject and it's a subject that most of us would like to put out of our minds forever.
"But we do live in a world where the capacity of a small number of fanatics and zealots and extremists ... might get hold of deadly weapons that can do terrible damage."
The government plans to introduce the legislation this year after consultation with the telecoms sector.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he would consider the new laws carefully, but has so far signalled bipartisan support.
The Australian Greens will await the details but has expressed concerns about the erosion of human rights and the justice system - thoughts echoed by the Australian Council for Civil Liberties (ACCL).
"The measures represent an attempt to use the current problems of Australians fighting with terrorist groups as a power grab for extra powers, the need for which is not currently made out," ACCL president Terry O'Gorman told AAP on Tuesday.
Share
