Qld to introduce media shield laws

Queensland journalists who refuse to reveal confidential sources will be protected from prosecution under proposed laws, however they won't be protected from withholding sources from the corruption watchdog.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman says the government has completed consultation on new media shield laws and expects to table a bill in coming weeks.

"We've committed to introducing a bill to protect journalists and Queenslanders who come forward with important information by the end of the year," she told reporters on Friday.

"We've had extensive consultation with stakeholders, we're now working to incorporate all of that feedback into a draft bill, and we hope to introduce a bill in one of the upcoming sitting weeks."

However, the laws will not protect journalists from prosecution if they refuse to reveal their sources to the state's Crime and Corruption Commission.

Ms Fentiman said that was because media interactions with the watchdog fall under the CCC Act, which will be updated next year.

"We hope to deal with that next year there will be some elements of the shield that will relate to CCC investigations, namely search warrants, but the CCC and the Crime and Corruption Act will be dealt with separately next year," she added.

The attorney-general said the shield laws would ensure protections were in place for individuals in the courts, in line with all other jurisdictions.

The Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance union has been campaigning for a national shield law to be modelled on the uniform national defamation law

The shield law proposal is a turnaround for the Queensland government, which controversially proposed a gag law on journalists back in August before withdrawing it within 24 hours.

Under that proposal, journalists who reported corruption allegations made to the Crime and Corruption Commission during election periods would have faced up to six months jail or a fine.