A Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting of state and territory leaders will next week discuss strengthening Australia's preventative detention orders.

Key points: Currently individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism-related activity cannot be questioned unless charged

Currently individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism-related activity cannot be questioned unless charged COAG to discuss moving to UK-style laws, which allow questioning

COAG to discuss moving to UK-style laws, which allow questioning Push for change emphasised following Brussels attacks

At present, individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism-related activity cannot be questioned while they are detained unless they are charged.

The ABC understands the current prevention regime has been a long-held frustration for counter-terrorism police and that the COAG meeting will be asked to address the issue next week.

The changes being sought to the current preventative detention regime would see Australia copy legislation currently in place in the UK, which allows police to question suspects held on suspicion of terrorism-related activity before they are formally charged.

It is believed police in NSW in particular have been concerned that the current preventative detention laws are not adequate.

Speaking on AM this morning, the Attorney-General George Brandis said: "The scope and design of Australia's laws to deal with the question of the threat of terrorism is always a matter that is the subject of discussion with first ministers".

"The preventative detention regime is something that has been the matter of discussion for some time and no doubt it, among other things, will be a matter of discussion among first ministers."

Changing the law would be controversial and seen as a breach of civil liberties by some, but the ABC understands there is now considerable political support for the move.

Senator Brandis acknowledged this morning that there were a "variety of views" on the matter, but said: "the state of the laws is always kept under constant review and the way in which the preventative detention order regime is structured is one of those things".

The push to change the preventative detention regime has been coming for some time, but has been given greater emphasis and urgency by the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels.

There have been three individual terrorist events in Australia since September 2014 — each of those has been a so-called lone wolf attack.

Authorities say they have disrupted six other imminent terrorist events in that time.

While acknowledging that the issue would be discussed at COAG next week, Senator Brandis said the Government was "satisfied that we are doing the utmost both in terms of the legislative architecture and in terms of resources made available to intelligence and policy agencies to keep Australians safe".