"As The Guardian has already noted, cybersecurity expert Riana Pfefferkorn has taken umbrage with the process, adding a personal submission to the parliamentary review, claiming that the AFP’s actions subverted the existing protections offered to journalists, and more accurately, that the new laws removed the need for a warrant.
“Law enforcement’s powers granted under the Data Retention Act in 2015 were augmented by the new powers the Assistance and Access Act provided at the end of 2018, creating the framework that authorised the federal police in mid-2019 to raid the homes and offices of journalists over articles published in July 2017 and April 2018, in defiance of international norms,” Pfefferkorn said.
Another part of the missive from Pfefferkorn defines the unreality of the time, stating that “…because parliament passed these laws, the federal police had the power to strike a chilling blow against press freedom in Australia, and call it lawful.”