Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has sought to hose down expectations police will use a new scheme requiring telecommunications companies to store customer records for two years to prosecute Australians who illicitly download programs such as Game of Thrones.

The government introduced legislation on Thursday that would require telecommunications companies to store customer "metadata" for two years. Law enforcement agencies will be able to access the data without a warrant.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull: "The AFP and ASIO and so forth frankly are not interested in whether you are illegally downloading a copy of Game of Thrones." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

At a press conference announcing the scheme, Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin said the scheme could "absolutely" also be used to tackle the illicit downloading of movies and music.



"Illegal downloads, piracy, cyber crimes, cyber security, all these matters - our ability to investigate them is absolutely pinned to our ability to retrieve and use metadata," Mr Colvin said.