Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dunkley for moving this motion today. It is estimated that there are 45 million people living in slavery worldwide. That is double the population of Australia. This is truly a heartbreaking statistic. There is absolutely no question then that there is zero place for slavery in any part of our modern world. I'm sure any member from either side of the House would agree with me on that, and yet there are still so many people who live enslaved to others, many as victims of exploitation in the private sector, such as in construction, agriculture and manufacturing.

We in Australia have a very important role to play in fighting modern slavery. That's not just because of our proximity to countries where slavery is still so prevalent—two-thirds of people trapped in slavery are reported to be in the Asia-Pacific region—but also because it's estimated that a truly unbelievable 4,300 people are currently trapped in slavery right here in Australia. We must do everything we can to bring that number down to zero. While the Turnbull government may now finally be looking to act—and we applaud that—Labor has been trying to do something for a very, very long time now. The real challenge of being in opposition is you can only take so much action without the support of the government. When you have an ineffective, do-nothing government like this one, you have to overcome delay after delay before progress is finally made.

Back in June last year, Labor announced our plan to tackle modern slavery and to bring the number of people enslaved in Australia down to zero. We recognised a need for greater transparency in supply chains, including information about a company's supply chain, where risk has been and what steps have been taken to ensure that slavery does not exist in that supply chain. This would be enforced to ensure that no Australian company is either directly or indirectly engaging in modern slavery. Our plan would also establish an independent office of the Australian antislavery commissioner to help remedy the gaps in enforcement and support. The commissioner would work with the victims of slavery, receiving inquiries and complaints and assisting victims where necessary. The commissioner would also assist businesses to build best practices in their supply chain to ensure that Australian businesses never engage in slavery, either directly or indirectly.

Labor announced this nearly a year ago, but nothing's been legislated since, not even after the bipartisan Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade tabled a report following the inquiry into modern slavery in December last year. The committee backed Labor's policy for an Australian modern slavery act—one with some teeth. It recognised that we can't rely on big businesses to police themselves. There must be penalties and there must be accountability. But nothing much has been done. As I previously noted, we have an estimated 4,300 people living in slavery in this country, and yet there have only been seven slavery convictions in the last half-decade. This is really urgent legislation. We need to be working on it to pass this immediately. There should not be any people in this country living in slavery. We should be doing everything to bring that number down to zero as quickly as possible.

To the member for Dunkley and the others opposite—I call on you to join with Labor. Let's pass through some meaningful legislation and let's do it sooner rather than later. Every day wasted is another day where someone is living under truly heartbreaking conditions. Join with us now. Let's put an end to slavery in this country once and for all.

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