Queensland Police have cast doubt on Brisbane City Council’s explanation of why it appears on a list of public agencies applying to telecommunications companies for access to consumers’ metadata.

Earlier this month, a spokeseman for lord mayor Graham Quirk told Brisbane Times it had only made applications for metadata “at the request of the Queensland Police Service … to assist police investigations”.

But the QPS has been unable to confirm this, despite making extensive internal inquiries.

“It’s not one of our strategies,” a QPS spokeswoman said.

The QPS said it had sought further information from Brisbane City Council, with a sergeant and a more senior officer separately contacting the lord mayor’s office.

Asked if the council had provided the officers with any clarification of its comments, the QPS spokeswoman said: "No."

But a council spokesman said it "provided clarification to the QPS last week which was accepted".

"Council stands by its recent comments," the spokesman said.

When the metadata controversy emerged, the Labor Opposition on the council accused it of behaving like “Big Brother”.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said he was “not convinced by the council’s statement, as the scant information it provided didn’t seem to add up”.

“It was difficult to see a role for council in the scenario supplied," he said.

“Graham Quirk’s council needs to spell out exactly why metadata is being accessed and how often.”

Under national security laws passed in 2015, QPS, along with other top law enforcement agencies, has automatic rights to access metadata under national security legislation.

Other public bodies, such as councils, can apply but have to rely on some other form of legal entitlement.

The telecoms industry is pushing back against a rising tide of applications from these agencies, claiming it does not have the resources to vet them and pointing out there is no official monitoring of such applications.

The industry’s peak body, the Communications Alliance, has compiled a list of more than 100 non-law-enforcement agencies making applications, including councils in Sydney, fair trading agencies and a range of state and federal government departments.

More than 300,000 metadata applications have been made since the laws came into force in late 2015, most of them by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The controversy at Brisbane City Council comes as the LNP-run council’s colleagues in the Coalition argue in Canberra for further powers for government agencies to spy on communications by members of the public, with Parliament debating laws that would require tech companies to unlock encrypted messaging apps.

Internet companies and civil rights campaigners say the proposed measures are too intrusive, but law enforcement agencies say they need them to track terrorists and organised criminals, who are increasingly relying on encrypted communications.