American founding father Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "Any society that would give up essential liberty to obtain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Since September 11, 2001, it’s a trade-off with which we are increasingly familiar.

The Christchurch attacks were senseless acts of terror that reverberated around the world, but we need to be wary of knee-jerk proposals to limit our freedoms – in this case, restrictions on free speech via tighter regulation of the internet.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern comforts her nation after the Christchurch atrocity ... but should it be a reason to forfeit out freedoms? Credit:AP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is leading the charge among world leaders, warning G20 nations last week that it is "unacceptable to treat the internet as an ungoverned space". However, the exact content that Morrison proposes to govern against is frustratingly unclear.

Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are reported to be on a "rare unity ticket" on this issue. We should be concerned when politicians on both sides come together to rush dramatic changes to our laws without time for proper consolation or policy development.