Media Release
Tasmanian man charged with allegedly accessing child abuse material
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Tasmania Police
A South Hobart man appeared in Hobart Magistrates’ Court today (21 October, 2025) accused of allegedly accessing child abuse material.
He was bailed to next appear in the same court on 17 February, 2026.
The Tasmania Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (TAS JACET) received three reports from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) between February and July, 2025, about an online user uploading child abuse material.
TAS JACET investigators, comprising officers from the AFP and Tasmania Police, linked the man, 57, to the alleged offending.
Investigators arrested the man today (21 October, 2025) following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in South Hobart. Another search warrant was executed at a North Hobart location linked to the man.
Police seized a number of electronic devices during the warrants, which will now undergo further forensic analysis.
The man has been charged with one count of use carriage service for child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.
The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
If you or someone you know is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit the ACCCE website.
Note to media
Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL not ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:
- indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
- conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.
Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.
