ASIO will be able to engage in industrial and economic espionage as well as spying on groups such as WikiLeaks on behalf of Australia's two foreign spy outfits, under one of the most significant widening of its powers in a decade.

According to Attorney-General Robert McClelland, the changes are being made to allow ASIO to work better with Australia's two overseas spy agencies, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Defence Signals Directorate.

Legal experts and the Greens have expressed concerns that the changes are not needed and fundamentally change the way the main domestic spy outfit operates.

''I think [the ASIO amendments] are dangerous,'' Greens spokesman on national security Senator Scott Ludlam said, adding that the legislation needed ''genuine scrutiny''.

The amendments, now before a Senate committee, are expected to pass Parliament in June. They will widen ASIO's ability to work for ASIS and the DSD in collecting ''foreign intelligence''.