The Melbourne Cricket Ground is arguably Australia’s most famous sporting arena. Picture: David Caird

Counter-terrorism strategies will be top of the agenda at the Coalition of Australian Governments meeting in Hobart on Friday which comes amid growing concerns about attacks on crowded places in the wake of deadly incidents in London and Manchester.

The matter has been given added urgency by a terror attack in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton yesterday.

Malcolm Turnbull has highlighted the growing threat to the Asia-Pacific region after a terror attack in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton. Picture: Kym SmithSource:News Corp Australia

“What is clear here is that we face a growing threat from Islamist terrorism in Australia, in our region and around the world,” Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra today.

“We will continue to defy it and we will continue to defeat it.”

National counter-terrorism co-ordinator Tony Sheehan will brief the meeting on a new approach to safeguarding Australians at key venues such as the MCG and public areas such as Melbourne’s Federation Square, The Australian reports.

Both federal and state governments must agree to the upgrades.

Concrete barriers to prevent vehicle attacks are one method that has been suggested after terror attacks in Nice, Berlin and now London.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of social media giants, including Facebook and Twitter, cracking down on radical extremists on their platforms yesterday.

Mr Sheehan will provide his final report on Australia’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies’ ability to respond to the threat of terrorism to government later this month.

There is a push among Coalition MPs for the government to restructure the nation’s intelligence agency ASIO and the Australian Federal Police into a single overarching agency modelled on Britain’s Home Office, The Australian reports.

It will be the first COAG meeting with new NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and new WA Premier Mark McGowan.