The Prime Minister Tony Abbott with Director of Security Duncan Lewis during a visit to ASIO in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage. Source: News Corp Australia

Tony Abbott has been asked to “please explain” after footage captured by news cameras showed Australia’s top terrorist recruiting suburbs.

Colour-coded maps were placed in front of the PM and the ASIO director-general at a meeting in Canberra. They highlighted areas in Sydney including Lidcombe, Greenacre, Punchbowl, Bankstown, Auburn and Lakemba and areas in Melbourne including Craigieburn and Campbellfield.

“This is a map which shows the two cities of Melbourne and Sydney, where fighters who’ve gone off to the Middle East have emanated from, the home addresses if you like,” Mr Lewis told the PM.

Did the PM reveal something he wasn’t supposed to reveal on Wednesday? Picture: ABC TV Source: ABC

“Not surprisingly you see a concentration down here and up here in Melbourne, and then to the west of the city of Sydney over here.”

The footage was broadcast of TV news bulletins on Wednesday night but an ASIO spokesman told the ABC the documents were for “official use only”, a comment pounced upon by Labor.

Opposition defence spokesman David Feeney released a statement asking for an explanation.

“As part of this staged briefing, it appears sensitive ASIO maps detailing the location of persons of interest to ASIO in Sydney and Melbourne were spread across the table and subsequently broadcast in television news bulletins tonight,” Mr Feeney said.

“The Prime Minister must immediately clarify whether these documents were for official use only and if he has possibly facilitated a significant security breach.”

A spokesman for the Prime Minister has said Mr Lewis “is satisfied that no information of national security significance was visible”.

During the briefing, Mr Lewis told the prime minister the maps would be used to direct the efforts to counter radicalisation.

A troubling insight into why so many young Australians are risking their lives to join ISIS.

The meeting at ASIO headquarters follows the unveiling of new details in a proposal to strip Australian citizens of their passports.

During his announcement on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said there are 120 Australians fighting with the so-called Islamic State and double that number who are supporting them through recruitment or financial assistance.

ASIO has released a statement saying that the documents “did not compromise national security”.

“There has been reporting in some quarters of the media regarding the sensitivity of documents used in briefing the Prime Minister yesterday.

“The Director-General of Security confirms the documents used in the briefing were not the subject of a national security classification.

“The documents were carefully edited and were unclassified.”