Malcolm Turnbull insists new laws to allow soldiers to be embedded with police to respond to terrorist attacks are only weeks away from being introduced to federal parliament.
The prime minister announced last July there would be increased co-operation between police and the military in response to incidents, including special forces providing specialised training to local officers.
The changes followed recent international terrorist attacks and a review into the deadly Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney in 2014.
Mr Turnbull defended the hold-up on the legal changes on Wednesday evening.
He insisted the past 10 months the federal government had been consulting with its state and territory counterparts.
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"That's quite appropriate because it involves their agencies and their sovereignty as well," he told 2GB radio.
The process involved in a military "call-out" to an incident will be streamlined, including a provision that limits the states from asking for military assistance until their capability has been exceeded.
