Victorian MP Rachel Carling Jenkins breaks silence on husband's child porn stash

A Victorian Upper House MP has broken her silence on her husband's hidden child porn stash.

Australian Conservatives MP Rachel Carling Jenkins has revealed her ex-husband was convicted for child porn offences in a speech that has stunned Victoria's upper house, news.com.au reported.

Dr Carling Jenkins' former husband Gary was convicted and jailed for possessing child exploitation images in the family home, she said.

"I have been silent on this topic until now only because I would not do anything to interfere with police investigations or judicial proceedings, but these are completely over," she told parliament.

Gary was convicted and jailed for possessing child exploitation images in March and served four months.

"I was shocked, I was horrified and I quite literally went into hysterics," Carling Jenkins told 3AW.

The upper house MP said she grew suspicious about his behaviour and checked his computer.

"I just thought something was wrong, something was off (with him) and I looked at his computer and that's what I found," she said.

In February 2016, Dr Carling Jenkins and her son discovered Gary Jenkins had an "extensive collection of child pornography" in the family home.

"In this discovery, I personally viewed deeply distressing images which have caused me immediate and ongoing anguish," she said.

"Gary was initially picked up based on witness statements my son and I provided to the police - these statements were recorded shortly after our discovery.

"I want to make one thing clear, I had no idea prior to February 2016 that my husband was addicted to child pornography. I had believed for a long time that he was suffering from a mental illness and I had attempted on numerous occasions to get him help.

"However Gary had consistently rebuffed or sabotaged these attempts, and I thought at the time that was another symptom of a mental illness.

"Gary does not have a mental illness, his behaviours stem from something much more sinister."

Dr Carling Jenkins said her marriage ended the day she found the disturbing material and only returned home to pick up her belongings.

"I have no intention of returning to the house that holds such haunting memories, or to the marriage," she said.