Australian-born terrorists who are stripped of their citizenship could soon languish indefinitely in immigration detention if they can’t be kicked out of the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to be able to deport extremists if his government assesses that they may be entitled to citizenship in another country.

“If they are in a position not to be deported, they will remain in immigration detention,” Mr Morrison told the Seven Network on Friday.

“Their citizenship should go if you commit a terrorist act in Australia.”

Asked how the sweeping new powers would work if another country refused to take people back, the prime minister was vague.

“If they’re a citizen of that country, they have to take them back,” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to be able to deport extremists.

AAP

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Labor would continue to work with the government on national security laws.

Mr Shorten said it was important to scrutinise any changes to make sure they would work and there were no unintended consequences.

“If we make sure that they’re effective, that they keep Australians safe, well then we’ll be up for the sensible debate,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“If you do a rush job, you can sometimes do a botched job. Let’s get it right.”

The Law Council of Australia has warned attempts to strip terrorists of their citizenship could breach international obligations by leaving people stateless.

Asked if he was concerned by the warning, Mr Morrison replied: “Nup.”

“Those who oppose these laws always say this,” he told the Nine Network.

“I dealt with that back when I was immigration minister and they said I couldn’t turn back boats and they said that wasn’t legal.

“Well, they make all these claims, but what I do is I press on and I just get it done.”

The new laws are aimed at revoking citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terror offences, regardless of the length of their sentence.

That would remove a current requirement that a person be sentenced to at least six years behind bars.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton could also strip Australian citizenship from a convicted terrorist if he was “reasonably satisfied” they were entitled to foreign citizenship in another country.

The government further wants to introduce “temporary exclusion orders” of up to two years for foreign fighters returning from the Middle East.

The proposed laws come in response to the deadly Bourke Street attack, and the Melbourne arrests of three Australian men of Turkish ancestry, who are accused of planning a terror event.