Greste drawn into NSW bail debate

The NSW government has used Australian journalist Peter Greste's protracted legal battle in Egypt to highlight the importance of the state's controversial new bail laws.

Mr Greste spent months behind bars, accused of aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, before being sentenced to seven years in jail on Monday.

NSW Attorney-General Brad Hazzard used Mr Greste's case to defend his government's new bail rules, amid media outrage that the regime has led to ex-bikie boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi being granted conditional bail.

Mr Hazzard said the new rules ensured the community was protected from dangerous criminals while making sure people who are charged, but not later convicted, don't spend time in jail.

"If we jump too far away from that, well, you start ending up looking like some of those jurisdictions overseas," he told ABC Radio.

"I'm thinking of one at the moment [where] a journalist has been locked up for quite some time," he added, alluding to Mr Greste.

"You have to weigh up the balance."

Mr Hazzard defended the government's changes to the bail rules, saying the old regime was inconsistent.

"There was, for example, [in the old rules] no presumption at all against bail for somebody who committed a sexual assault on a child under 10," he said.

"That's totally illogical - crazy stuff."

While not commenting directly on Hawi's case, Mr Hazzard said bail decisions could be appealed by the director of public prosecutions.

Former Comanchero bikie boss Hawi, jailed over the fatal bashing in 2009 of a rival at Sydney airport, was granted bail on Monday.

He applied for release under the new Bail Act after his conviction for the murder of a Hells Angel was quashed in May and a retrial ordered.

Under the strict bail conditions, Hawi must report to police daily, adhere to a curfew and find $700,000 from two people as a surety for his release.