Photo: internet

Last year, police from the AFP-led Queensland Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team and Queensland Police charged a man with child exploitation offences.

Further investigations identified a person of interest located in the Philippines. The AFP prepared an evidence pack for the PNP, which assisted an investigation into alleged live streaming of child abuse material.

These investigations culminated in a major police operation, drawing on resources from the PNP Anti-Cyber Crime Group, the AFP and International Justice Mission.

On Saturday 27 May, the PNP arrested a 54-year-old woman and charged her with child trafficking offences.

Online child exploitation is a vile crime type that is often difficult to track and investigate, with technological advances facilitating the sharing of material aimed at exploiting innocent members of our society.

This successful operation demonstrates the ongoing commitment of all law enforcement agencies – both in Australian and overseas – to stay one step ahead of those engaging in this abhorrent crime.

Australia's international law enforcement partnerships are world class. Through its international network, the AFP has officers stationed in 28 countries across the world, where they work with local law enforcement to fight transnational crime threatening Australia at its source.

I would like to congratulate the officers involved in this successful operation, particularly our colleagues in the Philippines for their dedication to keeping children in our region safe from harm.

Australia is at the forefront of stopping the exploitation of children. This week the Foreign Minister and I announced that we will introduce new legislation to stop registered child sex offenders from travelling overseas to commit unspeakable acts of depravity.

This is a world-first and will be the strongest crackdown on child sex tourism ever.