ALP in bid to shake up security committee

A former defence minister has significant concerns about Labor's attempt to shake up the membership of parliament's intelligence and security committee.

A private bill, proposed by senior Labor figure Penny Wong and debated in the Senate on Thursday, seeks to make several changes to the way the committee functions, including scrapping a requirement that its membership be comprised of six MPs and five senators.

Liberal senator David Johnston warned the changes could potentially compromise the independence and effectiveness of operational activities in what was a sensitive area, insisting the existing system was "not broken and required no fixing".