Hong Kong (CNN Business) Australia is alarming the tech industry by moving ahead with plans to give government agencies the power to demand access to encrypted messages on services such as Apple's iMessage and Facebook's WhatsApp.

The plans have faced push-back from tech firms, but the proposed law is expected to be approved by the Australian parliament this week after the two main political parties agreed to support it.

The government argues the legislation will help police and security agencies combat serious offenses such as terrorist attacks and child sex crimes. But privacy advocates say it could bring risks for regular users of the apps and even make tech companies wary of doing business in Australia.

"Without these measures, it is incredibly difficult to keep Australians safe from terrorists and organized criminals," Attorney General Christian Porter told national broadcaster Seven News on Wednesday. "If we can't get into the conversations of terrorists plotting to do Australians harm, then we can't keep Australians safe."

Tech firms 'may think twice' about Australia