Australia has officially joined the international fight against cyber-crime after it joined 38 other nations in signing up to the world’s first international treaty on crimes committed via the internet.

“Australia becoming a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime will help combat criminal offences relating to forgery, fraud, child pornography, and infringement of copyright and intellectual property,” said Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

“The internet makes it easy for criminals to operate from abroad, especially from those countries where regulations and enforcement arrangements are weaker.

These powers will allow Australian law enforcement agencies to rapidly obtain data about communications relevant to cybercrimes from partner agencies around the world.

“The Convention will also ensure vital evidence is not lost before a mutual assistance request can be completed.”

With the Convention now in effect, Australia’s investigative agencies are able to use new powers contained in the Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Act 2012 to work with cybercrime investigators around the globe.

The Act amended certain Commonwealth cybercrime offences and enabled domestic agencies to access and share information relating to international investigations.