PREMIER Campbell Newman has declared that people who do not support his government's laws giving politicians power to overrule the courts in some cases, are "apologists for sex offenders and pedophiles".

Speaking in Cairns on Wednesday, Mr Newman was asked about the "public interest declaration" laws which have attracted scathing criticism from the legal community including the Bar Association of Queensland and retired Supreme Court judge Richard Chesterman.

Under the law, the Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie can overrule the courts and order serial sex offenders be locked up forever.

Mr Newman said he did not want to pass such laws but the courts had left his government with no other choice.

"When we have a situation where serial sex offenders and pedophiles are being let out by the legal system, by the court system, into the community, we have to act," said Mr Newman.

"Queenslanders want us to act, that's why this law has been passed.

"The only people saying they're against these laws are people who are apologists for sex offenders and pedophiles."

He challenged those groups opposing the laws to provide another solution.

"None of these critics are offering any solutions and I'm sad to say that we will have to continue to act like this and make these sorts of decisions if people don't offer proper alternatives to protect the community."

Yesterday Mr Chesterman wrote in The Courier-Mail the law amounted to "bad policy".

"It represents an unjustified attack on the Supreme Court which is said to have failed the community and to have been too "soft"," wrote Mr Chesterman.

"No instance has been given in which the court has been shown to have been mistaken in its application of the Dangerous Prisoner (Sex Offenders) Act.

"There is no basis for thinking the judges have not applied the Act correctly and conscientiously."