A former head of the government's Digital Transformation Agency has offered a bleak view about the impact of controversial new encryption laws.
While the coalition has agreed in principle to Labor's proposed amendments next year, cyber expert Paul Shetler doubts if that will be enough to make a difference.
"This kind of a law ... changes things so much that it's almost impossible to roll things back when they are in place," Mr Shelter told ABC Radio on Monday.
"They're going to hurt Australians in terms of their privacy and their rights, but it's also going to hurt a free press.
"Most importantly, I think it's going to hurt Australia in terms of its tech industry."
Mr Shetler fears technology giants like Apple and Google will make customised products for the Australian market, without many of the same features as overseas, because of the laws.
Despite helping pass the controversial laws before the Christmas break, Labor Leader Bill Shorten says he remains concerned about the legislation.
The laws cleared the Senate on the final parliamentary sitting of the year, after Labor struck a last-minute deal with the coalition.
The government pushed hard to quickly clear the bill through parliament after expressing fears about authorities not having enough access to prevent potential terror attacks during the Christmas holiday period.
Attorney-General Christian Porter believes Australia is a safer place because of the laws that will now force tech companies to help authorities snoop on encrypted messages.
