Canberra, Jun 26 (IANS): The Australian government on Monday said it plans to make it legal for social media websites to hand over vital information about suspected terrorists or militant operations.

On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull met with representatives from leading social media websites, telling them they "cannot continue to allow terrorists and extremists to use the internet and the big social media ... to spread poison", reports Xinhua news agency,

On Monday, Australia's former army chief Peter Leahy told the media that the governments deserved more from big social media companies when it comes to clamping down on terrorism, saying it was not only a government problem but a social obligation for the online giants to pitch in.

"There are many levels to this. Firstly, I think the tech giants deserve to show some social responsibility. They're letting this (terror-related content) on their sites," Leahy said.

Opposition Labor Party MP Andrew Leigh said his party was glad the government was cracking down on cyber security -- indicating that it would back federal legislation in Parliament if it was "sensible".