Foreign fighter laws not working: academic

A prominent legal academic claims beefed-up counter-terrorism laws are proving ineffective.

In the wake of weekend raids and arrests in Melbourne, the University of NSW's George Williams says foreign fighter laws are not deterring young radicalised Australians intoxicated with the idea of fighting overseas.

"What has become clear though is that tough laws are not the solution by themselves," Professor Williams wrote in Fairfax Media on Monday, adding an overzealous legal approach could contribute to the problem by fuelling the radicalisation process.