Ludlam, continuing his , said its current form significantly expanded the scope of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

"There appears to be a bipartisan consensus to simply let this [bill] sail through and we won't be having it," he said. "The Australian Greens will be certainly voting against this bill.

"[It] is a step too far."

According to Ludlam, the government had provided no justification for the bill's expansion of ASIO's current mandate around telecommunication intercepts.

"Henceforth [ASIO] will be on call," he said. "We need to be very careful before we expand the mandate of a clandestine agency with very, very sketchy reporting obligations to the people of this country... into mainstream law enforcement and tax matters.