The Albanese Government has announced plans for a new criminal offence and civil penalties for large companies that fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains.
Under that plan companies with annual revenue over $100 million will face prosecution unless they can show they took reasonable steps to identify and prevent forced labour, slavery or debt bondage.
The reforms are intended to replace the existing Commonwealth system that the Greens, and most NGOs and anti-slavery campaigners have criticised for reliance on voluntary reporting since 2018.
As stated by Greens Senator and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge:
“A new modern slavery offence would be a genuine step forward, giving the law some teeth after years of a voluntary code that was able to be ignored by the worst offending companies.
“Australia imports nearly $100 billion of goods with a high risk of slavery in their supply chain every year. This isn’t an academic issue, it can mean life and death for millions of exploited workers.
“This is urgent reform and the Greens intend to work with the government to ensure this legislation delivers on the promise.
“Australian consumers are unwilling accomplices to modern slavery globally. The best estimate is that about $1 in each $5 spent Australians spend on imported goods is linked to supply chains where modern slavery occurs, from electronics, to clothing and health care.
“It shouldn’t be up to individual consumers to know if a phone, a t-shirt or a chocolate bar involves modern slavery, the obligation should be on companies to keep slavery out of their supply chains.
“We will be closely considering the details on what it means to take “reasonable steps” to prevent slavery to ensure there aren’t loopholes here that facilitate bad business practice.
“The McMillan review went further than this package, recommending a complete ban on importing slavery-made goods, this is something the Greens will continue to push for.
“It’s no secret that the missing piece here is a power for individuals who have experienced modern slavery to make complaints and have remedies available to them against companies that benefited from it.
“While the Attorney General says remedies for victims are something the government says it will “consider”, we want to be clear that this needs to become a funded commitment.
“Credit belongs to the advocates and survivors who have pushed for these laws to be strengthened for years, this reform exists because they refused to let it drop. We thank them on behalf of the millions who can’t.”
