THE decade after the 9/11 strikes unleashed such a frantic response in Australia that 54 new anti-terror laws were passed federally, according to a study that suggests their reach surpassed measures even taken in the US.

Most activity occurred under the prime ministerial watch of John Howard - on average a new anti-terror statute passed nearly every seven weeks until he was defeated.

Moment of horror: 54 new anti-terror laws were passed in Australia in the decade after 9/11. Credit:Getty Images

Labor in opposition supported most of the statutes, commonly running to hundreds of pages, but on returning to government, the pace slowed. In the Rudd-Gillard era, from November 2007 to September 11, 2011, only six anti-terror laws were enacted.

University of New South Wales' Professor George Williams, who conducted the first count undertaken of national anti-terror laws, said the scope exceeded measures in countries facing more severe threats.