It is a criminal offence to engage in sexual activity with children, whether in Australia or in another country.

To combat child sex tourism, Australia has introduced laws that make it an offence for Australian citizens and residents to engage in sexual activity with children under 16 in foreign countries. The laws also prohibit the incitement or encouragement of these offences. It is also illegal to facilitate these offences or gain benefit from them, such as organising child sex tours.

The law provides that Australians who commit child sex offences whilst overseas can be investigated and prosecuted in Australia. The penalties for these offences include a term of imprisonment of up to 17 years for individuals and fines of up to $500,000 for corporate bodies.

A number of Australians have been successfully prosecuted under these laws.

The laws are contained in Part IIIA of the Crimes Act 1914 (as amended). The text of the Act is available here.

If you suspect an Australian of engaging in sexual activity with children, you should contact the Australian Federal Police. The AFP has a dedicated team to help prevent the occurrence of child sex tourism. The AFP cooperates with other countries’ law enforcement authorities to actively monitor and investigate Australian citizens, permanent residents or companies that are associated with such offences.

To report suspicious behaviour, please complete the Report Child Sex Tourism form on the AFP website or write to:

Child Protection Operations Team
Australian Federal Police
GPO Box 401
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000.