Committee raises data retention concerns

Concerns about the government's controversial data retention legislation have again been raised by a bipartisan human rights committee.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has once more requested Attorney-General George Brandis spell out what remedies there are for any privacy breaches as a result of the policy.

In its latest report tabled in parliament on Wednesday, the committee recommends the bill be amended to define the types of data to be retained.

It also calls for collection to be limited to investigations of serious crimes, threats or matters by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Despite responses from Senator Brandis, one member again recommended the bill be amended to ensure a warrant approved by a court or independent administrative tribunal was provided to access metadata.

A requirement for individuals to be notified when their metadata is accessed was also suggested.