Under the procedure,the AFP accesses a Qantas portal and is required to state that they are conducting a criminal investigation and list the name of the act under which they believe an offence has been committed. Qantas was not told that Oakes was a journalist.

Mr Albanese said the document pointed to"a gap"between what the Attorney-General"says is happening and what is actually happening".

"He says that journalists aren't the target of these investigations,but the fact that there was a demand by the AFP for records of flights[of] a journalist from Qantas shows that that's not the case,"the Labor leader said.

While Mr Porter would need to sign-off on any move to prosecute reporters,overall ministerial responsibility for the AFP rests with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

Mr Porter - who declined to comment on Monday - has previously said he is"seriously disinclined"to authorise the prosecution of journalists.

Media,Entertainment and Arts Alliance chief executive Paul Murphy said the request to Qantas"underlines the seriousness of the situation we're facing".

"It's yet another example of the culture that's been created in this country of an absolute disregard for the role of journalists in an open liberal democracy,and absolute contempt for whistleblowers."