We're not afraid of other views: Brandis

Attorney-General George Brandis insists the federal government welcomes the free exchange of ideas - even from the Human Rights Commission.

In a polite exchange with commission president Gillian Triggs, markedly different from those under the Abbott government, Senator Brandis said he expected the commission to be engaged in debate on beefed-up counter-terrorism laws and on occasions to be a contradictor.

"This is a Liberal government so we are not afraid of hearing a variety of points of view," he told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday.

Senator Brandis was responding to comments by Professor Triggs that the laws didn't include enough safeguards.

"We completely understand why the government is engaged in this counter-terrorism legislation. We need desperately if I may say so to upgrade where our laws were," she said.

"But we would, in principle, want to see many more legal precautions to protect individual rights and it's not difficult to do it."

Senator Brandis said the government expected the commission to keep a "very careful eye" on human rights and to be part of the debate.