Perre, 61, is charged with murder and attempted murder in relation to the bombing which claimed the life of Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and injured lawyer Peter Wallis.

He appeared before Adelaide Magistrates Court by video link on Monday where defence counsel asked for subpoenas to be issued seeking information from the correctional services department and police.

Arguing in support of his applications, Gilbert Aitken said the subpoena for the department related to evidence from seven people who had alleged Perre made admissions about the bombing to them.

But he said the "conga-line of informants" were all "motivated by self-interest and were unconstrained by morality".

"They are as likely as unlikely to tell the truth depending on where their self-interest lies," Mr Aitken said.

He said access to the material was "fundamental" to Perre's right to a fair trial and that some of the informants had "absolutely no connection to the accused".

Mr Aitken pointed to issues with other cases where jailhouse informants were involved, including those associated with the Lawyer X scandal in Victoria.

The court also heard on Monday two of the seven informants had since died.

Magistrate Greg Fisher said he had no issue with the application for information from police but questioned the value and scope of the request to the department.

He said seeking all the department's files in relation to specific individuals, including some going back decades, could include totally irrelevant material.

He will rule on whether to allow that subpoena on a date to be fixed.

Perre was arrested last year following a joint investigation, lasting more than two years, by a number of state and federal authorities including the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

He had been charged shortly after the bombing but the charges were later withdrawn.

The NCA bombing has been one of South Australia's highest-profile cases, with a $1 million reward offered in 2008 for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible.

Perre is yet to enter pleas to the charges and remains in custody.

Australian Associated Press