A brawl is building inside the Turnbull government over the creation of a British-style Home Office that would bring together major intelligence, police and security agencies.

While the idea has gained traction, some within the government are pushing back and arguing that Australia's current arrangements are working well while Britain has experienced several serious terrorist attacks in recent months.

"Why would anyone think their arrangements are better than ours?" one influential insider said.

A super-department in the style of the US Department of Homeland Security is understood to have been all but ruled out, but a British model is being more seriously considered.