Civil society groups and academics say that Australia is falling behind other countries in tackling slavery. The government this week released its response to an independent assessment of Australia’s slavery laws. The review found that the legislation had “not yet caused meaningful change” for victims and made various recommendations to strengthen the law.
The Australian government has accepted 25 of 30 recommendations made by an independent assessment of Australia’s Modern Slavery Act of 2018.
While some activists and unions say the government’s responses are positive, other campaigners say they fear Australia is doing much less than other countries to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
Justine Nolan, director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Saturday that the reforms could be delayed by federal elections due before next May.
“There is a danger of this again getting lost in the election cycle with everything, sort of, stopping very early in the new year. We have just had a visit from the U.N. special rapporteur, who has recognized that Australia has a problem in this. This is not something we can keep waiting on,” said Nolan.
Under recommended legislative changes, Australian authorities would have to publish locations and industries known to be high risk for modern slavery, including agriculture and construction.
The government said in a statement that “modern slavery practices rob an individual of their freedom and control over their lives. From the trafficking of children, to the criminal exploitation of workers, to an individual forced into servitude — these practices are major violations of human rights.”
James Cockayne is the anti-slavery commissioner in the state of New South Wales, responsible for increasing awareness about exploitation. He recently told local media that other global jurisdictions are expanding anti-slavery laws.
“The legislative landscape is moving pretty rapidly on these things internationally at the moment. There has been significant developments in the EU and continue to be day-on-day,” he said.
Canada’s modern slavery law came into effect early this year. It requires companies to file annual reports on efforts to identify and prevent forced and child labor.
The 2023 Global Slavery Index, published by the campaign group Walk Free, estimated there are 50 million people in modern slavery.
In Australia, it is estimated that 41,000 people are being exploited.
