Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a great pleasure to rise on this occasion to speak to a matter that really goes to the heart of universal human rights. The Australian parliament and Labor's Doc Evatt were instrumental in the formation of the United Nations and the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so this parliament has both a longstanding attachment to international laws and order and a deep commitment to human rights.

I guess it's been a long time coming, but it gives me great pleasure that this parliament is now turning its attention to the issue of modern slavery. I know that it comes as a shock to many people when you begin this discussion about modern slavery, because for many people their first response is, 'Surely not; this doesn't exist.' But it is, in fact, estimated that there are 45.8 million people trapped in slavery and slavery-like conditions worldwide. That, to our great shame, is more than at any other time in human history. That is a pretty shocking thing to reflect on. Two-thirds of those 45.8 million people trapped in slavery are found in our very own Asia-Pacific region.

So Australia has a very big role to play in this area, and that's why I'm delighted to be standing here in support as a member of both the subcommittee that has drafted this interim report and, indeed, the larger Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. It has been an inquiry that has enjoyed bipartisan support. There are some points of differences, which I will go to, but there is amongst the committee a very, very deep commitment to seeing an Australian modern slavery act.

In Australia alone, a country assumed to be long rid of this horrible scourge, there are an estimated 4½ thousand people living in slavery—in our own country. These people tend to be men, women and children trapped in forced labour, sex traffic and debt bondage, living lives of unimaginable trauma, often under the control of criminal organisations. And yet, whilst we know this is going on, there is a real lack of public recognition of modern slavery by most Australians. They are unaware that this slavery still exists, not only internationally but in our own backyards.

The time has come to acknowledge that slavery is not just a historic concept; it is, tragically, hidden but a very real part of our society. The time has come also to take action to fix the significant gaps in the Commonwealth's response to the problem of slavery. We need an Australian modern slavery act to improve transparency within business supply chains and to help break the chains of modern slavery in Australia.

Labor have long supported going down this path and indeed announced a policy, many months ago now, that we would in fact introduce an Australian modern slavery act, that that act would include supply-chain reporting requirements for major Australian companies and that it would establish an independent antislavery commissioner. Both recommendations, I'm pleased to say, are strongly supported by this interim report.

Labor, I am proud to say, has absolutely led the way on this issue. Earlier this year, Bill Shorten and Labor committed to a modern slavery act with penalties for noncompliance and, as I said, an independent antislavery commissioner. This response will ensure that Australia is at the forefront of the fight against modern slavery and will create the infrastructure necessary to make a real difference in combating this problem.

The Turnbull government have recently followed Labor's lead and committed similarly to a modern slavery act, and that's to be commended. Regrettably, they have so far failed to commit to the penalties for noncompliance or to the establishment of this fully independent antislavery commissioner, although I am hopeful that on both these fronts there is room for the committee to do further investigation. Both are crucial recommendations to ensure that the modern slavery act that we arrive at here in Australia is in fact an improvement on those existing elsewhere.

While Labor have acknowledged that the government's agreement in some parts is a great step in the right direction, we would say it just doesn't go far enough. The government really need to strengthen their resolve on this issue and commit to powerful penalties for those who propagate slavery and to back in the independent antislavery commissioner. Slavery is a cruel and barbaric practice. The fact that the government have yet to commit to imposing penalties on those big businesses that breach the modern slavery act is not acceptable, in my view. The need for penalties is reflected in the interim report, so the committee is very alive to this issue. We have indeed recommended—there's further discussion there—that penalties and compliance measures would in fact aid the enforcement of the act. That is why Labor supports a modern slavery act with these penalties and non-compliance measures. That's what gives the act the teeth it needs to actually operate effectively and to really make inroads into what we all agree is an utterly barbaric practice.

Labor will enforce supply chain reporting requirements for all businesses—that is the commitment we have made—ensuring no Australian company is directly or indirectly engaged in modern slavery. Major Australian companies would be required to comply with that. These companies would be required to report to government annually on the steps they have taken to ensure modern slavery is not occurring in their businesses or indeed anywhere in their supply chains. They would do so through making a slavery and human trafficking statement. There really is no alternative. We've had discussions with a number of other international jurisdictions here. It seems that the issue of compliance is critical to the successful abolition of practices both domestically and also further down the supply chain, to ensuring that we stamp out modern slavery. Baptist World Aid has suggested that currently 31 per cent of companies know that more than 75 per cent of their input suppliers have had issues around being involved in some of those antislavery practices.

We face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to partner with business to help stamp out this abhorrent practice with legislation that will actually make a difference. An Australian modern slavery act must have an effective compliance regime. That's the argument I've made here and that I'll continue to press in our committee deliberations. There is no hope unless we as a society take strong action—not action that will simply have an impact limited to Australia but action that will help people held in slavery and slavery-like conditions elsewhere. That's why Labor has long committed to an anti-slavery commissioner to ensure that there is help for victims of modern slavery right here in Australia and to fight slavery both here and overseas. We call on the government to now commit to doing the same. The hidden nature of modern slavery makes it very difficult for authorities to detect, investigate and prosecute incidents when they do occur, so you need every tool in your kit in order to stamp out these abhorrent practices when you have the opportunity.

I commend this interim report to the House. I think there is more work to be done, but it's an absolutely terrific start.

Debate adjourned.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 16:29

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