Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has rejected demands to drop police action against three high-profile journalists, declaring reporters are committing a crime by receiving top-secret documents.

As the minister responsible for the Australian Federal Police, Mr Dutton has come under pressure to order the agency to abandon any investigation into ABC journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, and News Corp reporter Annika Smethurst.

The journalists were the subject of dramatic police raids in Sydney and Melbourne last month, which triggered international condemnation and a major political debate over press freedom in Australia.

The ABC reporters published top-secret government material containing allegations of misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan, including the potential unlawful killings of unarmed men and children, while Smethurst used leaked letters to reveal discussions inside the Department of Defence and Department of Home Affairs about giving Australia's domestic cyber spies broader powers.