The law, which would apply to all police and anti-corruption agencies around the nation, also gives WA Police and the CCC new powers to covertly access computers which, according to Mr Dutton, are "like those powers currently available to ASIO". The bill also increases the maximum penalty for a person who fails to help law enforcement accessing a computer or device to 10 years in prison. "New communications technology, including encryption, is eroding the capacity of Australia's law enforcement and security agencies to investigate serious criminal conduct and protect Australians," Mr Dutton told federal parliament on Thursday morning. "No responsible government can sit by while those who protect our community lose access to the tools they need to do their job. In the current threat environment, we cannot let this problem get worse." Digital Rights Watch Australia's Lizzie O'Shea said the law created vast new powers for state and Commonwealth law enforcement agencies without justification.

"They have plenty of powers already and so they should use them and start doing some proper investigation work rather just constantly relying on laws like these to give them broader and broader powers so they don't have to do their job," she said. "I think that you should obviously try to catch people who do terrible things, but I also think you need to justify giving intelligence agencies and law enforcement extremely broad powers to do all number of things that can put a range of people at risk, unintentionally perhaps. "The object of the bill needs to be reflected in the powers it grants these organisations, rather than using this justification as a blank cheque to legislatively reform our regime to to give extremely broad powers without justification. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "So far they just assume that if they ask for it, they will be given it and our law makers have responded in that way."

A spokeswoman for the CCC said the commission had been consulted on the new powers. "For obvious reasons, the commission doesn't make detailed comment about its operational capabilities, however, the investigations which have been the subject of reports just this year alone demonstrate the commission's use of the full suite of investigative powers available to it – and the effectiveness of the commission's work," she said. "While there are often similarities in corrupt patterns of behaviour, it is also true that some corruption and serious misconduct is becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated – and the commission welcomes any contemporary changes to legislation that further assists in the identification and weeding out of such behaviour." But a spokeswoman for the WA Police said the force "does not have a comment to make". Federal Shadow Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement that by introducing the bill before responding to public comments was unacceptable and made a mockery of the consultation process.

"It is simply implausible that Peter Dutton could have in such a short timeframe given due consideration to the widespread concerns when dealing with encryption raised by industry and other stakeholders," he said. "Instead, the government appears to have taken a tick and flick approach to an incredibly complicated bill, with potentially far-reaching consequence for the privacy and digital security of all Australians." Mr Dreyfus said Labor was determined to ensure law enforcement and national security agencies had the powers necessary to keep Australians safe. Loading "As well as defending our nation's security, Labor also strongly believes in the importance of upholding the rule of law and the rights and freedoms that define us as a democratic nation," he said.