The Australian Greens have condemned an Abbott/Shorten unity ticket that has passed data retention laws through federal parliament this afternoon.

“The ALP has caved in to Tony Abbott's self-interested fear campaign and supported a bill that entrenches a form of passive mass surveillance over 23 million Australians," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communications spokesperson said following the vote. 

“The ALP will be judged for that, and we will ensure that people never forget who made this possible.

The Australian Greens have announced a broad suite of amendments to the data retention regime being legislated by Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten.

"Our amendments address major privacy and security protections that are being stripped away by the Abbott/Shorten surveillance unity ticket," Senator Scott Ludlam, Greens communications spokesperson said.

"Authorities should need a warrant to access bulk metadata and that entire process should have proper, independent oversight. That's what the Greens will move in the Senate today.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (19:13): The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill 2015 should not be passed. My colleagues Greens senators Scott Ludlam, Christine Milne and Penny Wright have set out a very clear case as to why this bill should not be passed. The way in which the Liberal, National and Labor parties have colluded to rush through parliament this bill, which creates the government's mass surveillance regime, is a disgrace. It is a result of an ugly backroom deal between these parties.

The proposed merger of two of Australia's last remaining independent Internet Service Providers will have a sharply negative impact on the level of competition in Australia's broadband market and must be opposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

"I will be reminding the ACCC of its obligation to directly prohibit acquisitions which would be likely to have the effect of "substantially lessening competition in any market," Australian Greens Communications spokesman Senator Scott Ludlam said this morning.