Australia's peak law body has criticised the federal government's 36-hour initial consultation period for a proposed national child sex offender register, calling for an urgent extension.

Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses SC described the quick turnaround as absurd, given it runs from January 9 to 11.

"A consultation period of 36 hours to provide views on such a complex and serious proposal is inappropriate and completely inadequate," Mr Moses said.

He said more time was needed to avoid unconsidered and rushed policy which could lead to bad legislation.

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A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told AAP initial feedback would be collated next week.

"That will then be used to inform development of a model and then return to consult further with governments and NGOs," she said.

Mr Moses said the legal profession would be troubled if the register was rushed for political purposes.

"Politicising this issue or rushing it through without proper thought would be an affront to all victims of sexual abuse," he said.

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Mr Dutton has rejected criticism of the plan, arguing it will be worthwhile if it saves one child from falling victim to a pedophile.

He says it is one part of the puzzle in protecting children, but has cautioned against viewing it as a "silver bullet".

Labor wants Mr Dutton to prove it will be effective, while some experts have raised doubts about the plan.

Under the federal government's proposal, the register would contain information including the person's name, photograph, aliases, date of birth, nature of offending and their general locality, such as their postcode.

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus believes the existing nationwide register available to police and verifying people who work with children were both effective measures.

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"When this was raised a few years ago, then-prime minister Abbott rejected it as not being effective. It would be good to know what has changed since then," Mr Dreyfus said.

Two reviews of a similar register started in the United States in 1996 found little evidence it had impacted on sex offending, according to a 2007 Australian Institute of Criminology report.