Lawyers have warned that innocent Australians could be arrested and detained under new counter-terrorism laws.
Instead of authorities having to believe a terror crime was about to be committed, they will only have to suspect a crime is to be committed to be able to charge someone.
"If you are arrested for a terrorist offence you will be in jail for a long time, as it is almost impossible to get bail," Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns told AAP on Thursday.
The alliance has scrutinised a third tranche of terror laws, introduced to parliament on Wednesday and immediately referred to a joint houses committee for investigation.
Mr Barns said it was inevitable that lowering the threshold for arrest and detaining innocent people would lead to community resentment.
The alliance is also concerned by the so-called foreign fighters provisions in the legislation.
Australians convicted of preparing for or participating in a foreign conflict face life imprisonment.
Mr Barns said the sentencing provisions did not match the gravity of the prospective offences.
In its current form the laws could be used to jail people for life even when they had not killed anyone, nor planned any terrorist acts or travelled overseas to proscribed no-go zones.
Mr Barns said they could be handed a life sentence for attending a training session or even for offering a room to be used for a meeting.
"This is a totally disproportionate penalty," he said.
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