Up to 20,000 paedophiles to lose their passports as Australia introduces the world’s toughest anti-child sex tourism laws

Convicted paedophiles will be banned from travelling overseas and will have their passports cancelled under new measures to be introduced by the federal government.

The new legislation, due to be introduced next month, will make it illegal for convicted child-sex offenders to leave or attempt to leave Australia, while dual citizens on child-sex offender registers also will be prevented from travel.

Victorian senator and anti-pedophile campaigner Derryn Hinch who fought for the measures told the Herald Sun he was ‘over the moon’ at the development.

‘This will be the greatest thing I could achieve in my first year in the senate,’ he said.

‘I could have been on 3AW for years banging away about this, but being elected to the Senate made it possible.’

He said almost half of convicted paedophiles travelling overseas were flying directly to South-East Asia for sick ‘child rape holidays’.

‘This will be the greatest thing I could achieve in my first year in the senate,’ he said.

‘I could have been on 3AW for years banging away about this, but being elected to the Senate made it possible.’

He said almost half of convicted paedophiles travelling overseas were flying directly to South-East Asia for sick ‘child rape holidays’.

Late last year, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull responded to reports 780 registered Australian child sex offenders had travelled overseas.

‘What we’re talking about is some of the worst grubs you can imagine, they’re a disgrace to Australia,’ Mr Turnbull said at the time.

‘We believe that by further co-operation with the states and territories, once we identify people who have been convicted of serious offences of this kind, then of course the Foreign Minister can revoke their passports.

‘We don’t want Australians travelling to South East Asia for these sexual criminal activities.’