Melbourne - The Sunday Age newspaper said yesterday a national crime report had identified a loose network of 5,000 paedophiles across Australia.
The newspaper said the National Crime Authority report found 30,000 girls and 11,000 boys were sexually abused each year.
The report said Australian paedophiles were trafficking in pornography and increasingly using the Internet to import and exchange information on minors. Australian paedophiles were linked to similar groups overseas.