The government will also establish two multi-agency taskforces in Melbourne and Brisbane to target organised crime on the waterfront in those cities. (AAP)
All waterfront workers will need a maritime security identification card as part of the government's plan to combat organised crime on the docks.
The federal government has announced a major expansion in its fight against organised crime on the waterfront.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare says the change will result in a huge overhaul of both the waterfront and the supply chain.
"We've seen organised criminals either targeting stevedores or getting jobs on the wharf, working inside private companies and trying to access the integrated cargo system," Mr Clare told ABC Radio.
"What police have said is they need the extra power to revoke the right of somebody to work on the dock if they've got compelling intelligence that person is involved in organised crime."
As part of the changes, anyone working on the waterfront will need a maritime security identification card.
Mr Clare said not everyone would agree with the changes.
"This is tough. I'm not backing away from that and I think that this will be controversial," he said.
"At the moment you need to be convicted of certain offences before you can be refused the right to work on the wharf."
The government will also establish two multi-agency taskforces in Melbourne and Brisbane to target organised crime on the waterfront in those cities.
They are expected to operate similarly to Task Force Polaris which was established nearly two years ago to investigate organised crime on the waterfront in Sydney.
