Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the creation of a super ministry of Home Affairs that would put police, intelligence, and border control agencies under one roof.

The Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Border Force, and the policy functions of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection would all answer to new Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who gets a bring promotion out of the deal.  Attorney General George Brandis will remain responsible for the approval of warrants.

"We need these reforms, not because the system is broken, but because our security environment is evolving quickly," said Mr. Turnbull at the announcement.  "We are taking the best elements of our intelligence and national security community and making them better. As terrorists evolve their methods, we have to evolve our responses."

But Opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten says this is more about politics than national security.

"I'm very concerned that these proposals aren't being pushed by our security agencies, they're being pushed by Peter Dutton," Mr. Shorten said, suggesting that Turnbull is doing this to maintain Dutton's support.  "We'll believe this is a good idea when the experts tell Labor it's a good idea," he added.

One person absent from the announcement was Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.  She is currently visiting India and Sri Lanka, but made no secret of her opposition to creating the super ministry.  Attorney General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan also opposed the idea because it stripped ministers of parts of their functions and upset arrangements that were working well.