Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

an estimated 27 million people around the world are currently victims of human trafficking and slavery, despite the efforts of William Wilberforce and a team of abolitionists who campaigned successfully more than 200 years ago to end state-sanctioned slavery in the British Empire and despite the fact that 80 years ago slavery was made internationally illegal by the League of Nations,

(ii)

human trafficking and slavery reduces people to commodities – buying, selling and exploiting them to meet demand for cheap goods and services, some of which reach Australia through unchecked supply chains,

(iii)

Sunday, 21 November was dedicated as Abolitionist Sunday by churches around Australia as part of World Vision’s ‘Don’t Trade Lives’ campaign, an education and advocacy program aimed at raising awareness and informed action against human trafficking and slavery, and which seeks to inspire a new generation of abolitionists, and

(iv)

the important role played by innovative programs in the areas of prevention, protection and criminal justice response to human trafficking and slavery; and

(b)

calls on the Australian Government to support initiatives such as Abolitionist Sunday and ‘Don’t Trade Lives’ and to continue efforts to combat human trafficking and other forms of slavery.

Question agreed to.