The Australian government is distancing itself from a controversial Internet surveillance plan during the election campaign.

Robert McClelland, the attorney-general, defended his department's plan to censor about 90 per cent of a secret government document. The document, which was obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, outlined plans to snoop on Web users in Australia.

McClelland says that the proposal was "not something the government is driving as an issue".

"To be frank, I haven't seen the document... I literally haven't seen the document. I don't know the content and I'm not in a position to judge whether those redactions are or are not appropriate. I haven't been a party to the negotiations," McClelland said

The plan would require ISPs to keep records of internet usage across the country, regardless of whether the people under surveillance are suspected of wrongdoing or not.

McClelland said that the plan had not yet been given approval at a government or policy level.