'Security and freedom go hand in hand': Turnbull plays down civil liberties fears

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has hosed down fears the government's proposed new facial recognition database will infringe on civil liberties.

Appearing on A Current Affair, Mr Turnbull said the proposal was simply a change in technology, not in police powers.

"National security enables us to be free," he said. "Security and freedom go hand in hand."

Premiers and chief ministers today gave their support for a range of tough new national security measures at a special meeting in Canberra.

That included sharing information for an online national face-matching service that will give police and security agencies in all jurisdictions immediate access to photos from passports and visas plus driver licences.

The system will be used to instantly identify people who are "suspects or victims of terrorist or other criminal activity", which now can take up to 10 days.

"It's really taking a resource that has been accessed for years and years and making it available in a 21st-century manner," the prime minister told reporters.

"Most Australians would assume it would be accessed in this way now but it hasn't been."

Scanning live CCTV isn't part of the new system, but police wanting to identify someone in such footage can get access in real-time.

The data could also be accessed by private operators - stadium or airport operators, for example - but only for a "lawful purpose" and with government approval and supervision.

Whether that could include for cases of petty theft in shopping centres remains unclear.

"It doesn't involve mass surveillance," Mr Turnbull said.

Watch the full A Current Affair progrfull A Current Affair progr