Aust, Indonesia host anti-terror summit

Australia and Indonesia will co-host a special regional counter-terrorism summit in August.

Malaysia, the Philippines and New Zealand will be among other countries invited to the ministerial level meeting in Manado, Sulawesi.

Attorney-General George Brandis was in Jakarta last week to finalise the arrangements with his Indonesian counterpart Wiranto.

The summit will focus on the threat posed by returning foreign fighters in the Middle East as the Islamic State caliphate falters.

The number of ex-Islamic State fighters back in south-east Asia is estimated to be in the hundreds.

"It is the issue that is of greatest concern to heads of government and homeland security ministers in the region when it comes to the question of counter-terrorism," Senator Brandis told a Senate hearing in Canberra on Wednesday.

The head of law enforcement and security agencies will also attend the summit to help boost cooperation across the region.

New Zealand Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson will visit Australia in the next fortnight to help progress the arrangements.