Australia's premier cyber security agency has released plans to leave ASIO's headquarters for larger, lower security premises, two years since it first moved into the custom-designed building.

The hurdles to gaining clearance to work in or even visit the Australian Cyber Security Centre in the highly classified Ben Chifley Building hindered the organisation's recruitment and collaborative goals, a Department of Defence submission to the parliamentary committee evaluating the proposal said.

The department proposed a $38.8 million relocation and fitout of the ACSC to Defence-leased buildings at Brindabella Business Park near Canberra Airport.

If approved, the centre's new headquarters would incorporate multiple security clearance levels, a mix of classified, unclassified and public meeting rooms, and space for a major expansion of its workforce to about 650, flagged in this year's Cyber Security Strategy.