New shoot-to-kill powers for NSW police

NSW Police now have greater shoot-to-kill powers after new counter-terrorism legislation passed through the state parliament's upper house.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the legislation would provide certainty for police officers if they needed to use lethal force against terrorists.

The bill allowing for the strengthened powers was passed following a lengthy debate on Wednesday evening.

The new powers mean police will be protected from criminal liability if they use lethal force "in good faith" during an event deemed a terrorist attack by the police commissioner.

At present, officers tasked with taking a so-called "kill shot" must believe their target poses an imminent threat to another person before they can fire their weapon.

The NSW Government promised to introduce the new measures following an inquest into the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege, in which two innocent people died.

The inquest heard snipers hesitated when they thought they had a clear shot at gunman Man Haron Monis - partially because they weren't sure they had the legal justification to shoot him.

Greens MP David Shoebridge criticised the bill, which passed with the Labor opposition's support.

"Laws that empower police to kill citizens are a fundamental threat to our civil liberties, so it is remarkable that these laws were rushed through parliament in less than a day," Mr Shoebridge said on Wednesday evening.