One of Australia's most senior public servants, who will head Peter Dutton's new security super-ministry, says the mammoth consolidation of power is necessary to protect Australia from the "dark universe" of globalisation.

Laying out what he called the "philosophical context" for the forthcoming Department of Home Affairs, Michael Pezzullo sounded a dire warning about the "evil" forces at play in an increasingly connected and mobile world.

Mr Pezzullo, who currently runs the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, referenced hard rockers AC/DC, media star Bec Judd and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy in an expansive speech to business leaders on Friday.

He warned the "emotional view" of home as a safe place was obsolete, and that households as well as governments and businesses needed to think about - and act on - the dangerous downsides of ongoing globalisation.