Australian citizens should not be allowed to gain access to their internet and phone metadata from companies like Telstra and Optus despite government agencies being able to access it without sign off from a magistrate, Australian telecommunications companies say.

In a joint submission to the federal government's inquiry examining the introduction of a mandatory two-year data retention regime, telco industry bodies the Communications Alliance and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association note a complaint by this journalist to the federal Privacy Commissioner regarding access to metadata held by Telstra. The Commissioner has not yet made his determination.

Watch it: Telcos say that citizens shouldn't have access to their metadata. Credit:Illustration: Mayu Kanamori

If the commissioner found in the journalist's favour, the industry bodies said it "would be enormously problematic" for telcos.

"The prospect of potentially millions of Australians making such requests [to carriage service providers] is little short of frightening," the associations said.