"I don't believe that most people travelling overseas know that a vast amount of [personal] information is given to international authorities," Graham said.

"It raises the question of not only how securely the airlines keep information, but if that is handed over to officials in another country, how can we be sure the people with access to that data are legitimate. I do not understand how this information stops terrorism."

Australian airlines fully comply with the U.S. mandate and the federal government claims passenger data is secure.

A spokesperson from the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) would not disclose the amount or type of passenger information sent, via airlines, to the US.

Australian legislation covering passenger data collection falls under the DIMIA-controlled Border Control and Compliance Division as "Advanced Passenger Processing" (APP).