A leading international human rights group has rebuked the Australian government for police raids on the media, saying the country's national security laws were having a "chilling effect" on journalists and their sources.

Human Rights Watch has said in its annual report that while Australia was a vibrant democracy with robust institutions, freedom of expression came under unprecedented pressure in 2019 and the nation's "overly broad" national security laws were open to misuse.

News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst, whose home was raided by federal police. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Police raids on journalists and the prosecution of "Witness K" and his lawyer Bernard Collaery over the East Timor spying scandal were highlighted as examples of cracking down on press freedom.

The repeal of the medevac laws, offshore processing of refugees, controversial new encryption laws and the over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system were also raised as concerns.