Peter Dutton confirms plan to create new spying powers still being considered

Home affairs minister calls for 'sensible discussion' about whether Australian Signals Directorate should gain new powers

Peter Dutton has confirmed that a plan to create new powers to spy on Australians - which sparked police raids at the centre of the press freedom row - is still on the table.

On Sunday the home affairs minister claimed it was "complete nonsense" that the government supported spying on Australians but, in the next breath, called for a "sensible discussion" about whether the Australian Signals Directorate should gain such powers, which he argued could help disrupt paedophile networks and stop cyber-attacks.