Parliamentary Committee To Investigate Adoption Of Anti-Slavery Legislation
Thursday 23 February 2017 @ 11.30 a.m. | Legal Research
The Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee of the Commonwealth Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade has announced the commencement of an inquiry into modern slavery in Australia. The inquiry will consider whether Australia should adopt an Act comparable to the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
In a media release, Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee Chair, Mr Chris Crewther MP said:
“The appalling practice of modern slavery is a scourge that regrettably continues to affect millions of people around the world, including in Australia…
The Attorney-General’s action in approving this important topic initiated by the Sub-Committee provides the opportunity to explore whether Australia’s laws could be improved to prevent modern slavery both in Australia and in supply chains of businesses and organisations that operate in Australia and overseas…
This is particularly timely in light of the UK’s recent introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and allows the opportunity for the Committee to assess whether similar changes could be applied here in Australia.”
TimeBase has previously written about a call for a national compensation scheme for victims of human trafficking and slavery from the Law Council of Australia and Anti-Slavery Australia. More recently, in December last year, a coalition of anti-slavery groups and religious leaders wrote to the Prime Minister urging action on modern slavery. Head of the Salvation Army’s Freedom Partnership to End Modern Slavery, Jenny Stanger, told ABC News:
“What we know from the global slavery index in 2016 is about 4,300 people are currently enslaved in Australia, and only about 500 victims of slavery have been officially recognised by Government over the last 10 years.”
Terms of Reference
The Committee has been instructed to have particular regard to:
- “The nature and extent of modern slavery (including slavery, forced labour and wage exploitation, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriage and other slavery-like exploitation) both in Australia and globally;
- The prevalence of modern slavery in the domestic and global supply chains of companies, businesses and organisations operating in Australia;
- Identifying international best practice employed by governments, companies, businesses and organisations to prevent modern slavery in domestic and global supply chains, with a view to strengthening Australian legislation;
- The implications for Australia’s visa regime, and conformity with the Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children regarding federal compensation for victims of modern slavery;
- Provisions in the United Kingdom’s legislation which have proven effective in addressing modern slavery, and whether similar or improved measures should be introduced in Australia;
- Whether a Modern Slavery Act should be introduced in Australia; and
- Any other related matters.”
Pubic submissions addressing the terms of reference can be made before 28 April 2017.
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