Police will get new search powers in the fight to stop child porn under legislation to be introduced through Victorian Parliament today.

Magistrates and law enforcement authorities will be able to issue search warrants easier and will be allowed to demand passwords to access images suspected of containing child pornography.

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Three new offences will be created to tighten a series of loopholes and the maximum penalty for child porn charges will be doubled to 10 years in prison.

They also include administering a child porn website, encouraging the use of a website to deal with child porn and a new offence about providing assistance to any other person to avoid apprehension.

Victorian Attorney-General Martin Pakula said it would be harder for child porn offenders to profit from their images under the new measures.

“This really tightens up the law about child porn websites as well as massively increasing the penalties,” he said.

“It will make it much, much harder for those evil individuals who want to use the internet to distribute and share their disgusting material.

“This is new legislation to send a clear message to anyone considering committing child pornography offences that the internet will no longer be a haven for you.”

Mr Pakula will be seeking bipartisan support for the approach and to pass the legislation.

“All members of Parliament… would be disgusted by some of the child pornography images that are seen on the internet and want to tighten up the offences and make sure those people who use internet for that type of material are unable to do so in the future,” Mr Pakula said.

“Every one of these child pornography images has come at the expense of an innocent child.”

– with ABC