"DETAILS of every phone call, email and internet page visited in Australia will be stored for at least two years under the Federal Government’s next round of counter-terror laws."

DETAILS of every phone call, email and internet page visited in Australia will be stored for at least two years under the Federal Government’s next round of counter-terror laws.

But the Coalition is bracing for a political battle over the changes after Labor warned they could breach privacy and drive up the cost of internet usage.

New laws tabled in Parliament will force telecommunications companies to store metadata that can be used to crack down on terrorist attacks, foreign espionage and child pornography rings.

People who download pirated movies or music could also be prosecuted more easily. The Government will compensate telecommunication companies but is still to decide how much it will cost.

A leaked submission on the Bill from Attorney-General George Brandis reveals the Government fears opponents will label the cost an “internet tax” that will be passed on to consumers.

The submission says the change is not a “tax” but that “costs should also not be the reason that the safety of Australians is comprised”.

The laws cover metadata, which Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull described as “information about a communication but not its content”. This could include details of internet service providers, the parties to communications and the time and length of the communication.

“Access to metadata plays a central role in almost every counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity, organised crime investigation,” Mr Turnbull told parliament.

“It is also used in almost all serious criminal investigations, including investigations into murder, serious sexual assaults, drug trafficking and kidnapping.”

Mr Turnbull insisted the content of emails and phone calls or a person’s internet browsing history would not be stored and mobile devices cannot be used to track people for surveillance.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mark Colvin and ASIO chief Duncan Lewis said agencies could already access metadata.

But both warned data could be lost if telecommunications companies were not forced to store it for at least two years.

The AFP chief said the new laws could be used to target people who download or share movies and music in breach of copyright. The laws were introduced to Parliament yesterday after an urgent Coalition party room meeting to sign off on them.

Source: couriermail.com.au