An Australian investigation has unearthed an international network of pedophile parents who abuse their own children and share images of the assaults.

The operation by Queensland police, Task Force Argos, has led to the break-up of the major international pedophile ring of parents, with arrests in the US and Britain.

The breakthrough came when officers from Task Force Argos, a team of police targeting online predators, intercepted an email sent to a known Australian sex offender containing pornographic photos of children.

Investigative leads in Australia were sent to authorities in the US and Britain, which unearthed a network of parents who abused their own children and shared images of the assaults via the internet.

"All children have an absolute right to grow up free from the fear of sexual abuse and exploitation, and especially from those they trust," Brian Moskowitz, a special agent with America's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said after two US arrests.