"There is a creeping expansion of the security and intelligence agencies, and law enforcement agencies, to tap our phones, to read our Web traffic, and use all the tools of surveillance they use around the world to spy on people."

According to Ludlam, the bill required amendments to detail how many requests for monitoring ASIO received from and how many agency resources the requests took up.

"Do folk just have spare time to take phone calls from other ministers and departments to request telecommunications intercepts and other services?" he said. "If they do, why are we hiring them in the first place? Why this enormous expansion of ASIO's resourcing?"

, currently before the Senate, seeks to enable greater cooperation, assistance and information sharing within Australia's law enforcement and national security agencies.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator George Brandis, said the Opposition would support the bill despite the Greens' concerns.