Attorney-General George Brandis is off to London and Paris this week for top level talks on counter-terrorism and security.

In London Senator Brandis will meet UK Attorney-General Jeremy Wright and Home Secretary Amber Rudd and receive briefings on the terror threat from British security agencies.

He will also address the Royal United Services Institute on the jihadi threat in Southeast Asia and the steps needed on security.

In Paris, he will meet French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Secretary-General of Defence and National Security Louis Gautier to finalise a treaty further strengthening security arrangements protecting classified information.

Senator Brandis will also meet French Families Minister Laurence Rossignol for discussions on how France is handling returning families of foreign fighters.

He said recent terrorist attacks and failed plots around the world reinforce why Australia must work closely with international partners.

“Australia, the United Kingdom and France, like many other countries, face a range of complex and evolving threats as we strive to balance national security with civil liberties,” he said in a statement.