It is now an offence for registered child sex offenders -- those convicted of the most serious forms of abuse -- to leave Australia without approval from law enforcement agencies.
They also face having their passports cancelled at the request of Australian authorities.
"Australia has up to 20,000 registered child sex offenders who have served their sentences but are subject to reporting obligations that help to protect the community," said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Last year alone, 800 registered child sex offenders travelled overseas, often to developing countries in Asia, and about 40 per cent did so without notifying police.
Also Read
"This will now stop," said Bishop.
The move follows repeated episodes of child exploitation overseas, including a high-profile case last year when Australian Robert Ellis was convicted of sexually abusing 11 Indonesian girls on the resort island of Bali.
The crackdown comes on the heels of concern about the growing role of technology in paedophilia, with the government proposing new offences and tougher penalties targeting live- streamed child abuse and online grooming.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan called the crackdown "the toughest on paedophiles in a generation", making Australia "a world leader in protecting vulnerable children overseas from child sex tourism".
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content