Australian bill to create back door into encrypted apps in 'advanced stages'

Government moves ahead with legislation despite criticism from the opposition

The Australian government is pushing ahead with controversial legislation it says will create "back doors" into encrypted communication services - but still can't say when it will introduce the bill.

After originally aiming to have the legislation before parliament in the first quarter of this year, the government has delayed its introduction. A spokesman for the acting attorney general, Marise Payne, would only say it was in "the advanced stages of development".