New laws are likely to be agreed upon within days to punish spies and curb foreign interference in Australian politics amid heightened concerns about Chinese donors and Russian attempts to influence elections.

The Turnbull government has reached a broad agreement with Labor to legislate the new espionage laws with amendments to be outlined in a bipartisan review expected to be settled on Tuesday.

Attorney-General Christian Porter put forward amendments in March but the Law Council said these did not go far enough. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

In one late change, the government will make it clear that people can take concerns to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, the government watchdog over spy agencies, without falling foul of the new laws because they disclose confidential information.

The government has also agreed to further amendments beyond those it released in March to address strong criticism about the way the original bill might put journalists or others in jail for handling or reporting sensitive information.