Data retention laws - police want phone data kept indefinitely

Australia's police commissioners want to help draft laws that would allow them to access the public's telecommunications data for up to two years.

But the commissioners say their motives are "pure", and they simply want their crime-fighting tools to be brought into the 21st century.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and South Australian Police Commissioner Gary Burns have this morning given evidence to an inquiry into proposed laws that would force telecommunication companies to store phone and internet data for two years.

Under the proposed laws, so-called "metadata" – which includes times, locations and durations of phone and internet communication – could be accessed by authorities with a warrant.

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