Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise this evening to commend the work of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, the Transport Workers Union and the Australian Workers Union who together are leading the charge against the exploitation of workers in the grocery supply chain. This newly formed alliance of unions, which represents retail, transport and farm workers, seeks to address exploitation and pursue health and safety issues for workers across the fresh produce and meat sectors. Sadly, in the 21st century, Australia is not immune to modern forms of slavery-like conditions.

The 2018 Global Slavery Index, produced and funded by the Minderoo Foundation, highlights the prevalence of this occurring in our country, estimating that, at any given time, there are as many as 15,000 people living in Australia in these exploitative working conditions. The index makes a particular point of highlighting the increasing levels of reporting of worker exploitation in the agriculture and meat processing industries—industries at the heart of the grocery supply chains. It describes a silent underclass of workers who are subject to forced labour and slave-like conditions of exploitation, many of whom are migrants. We know that these workers are frequently subject to underpayment of wages, nonpayment of entitlements such as leave or superannuation, and substandard accommodation. There even exist criminal syndicates and rogue labour hire firms that seek to traffic these people into Australia through the exploitation of our visa system. These workers are in highly vulnerable situations, fearful of authorities and trying to navigate a complex visa system. This leaves them at enormous risk of abuse.

Coles and Woolworths are in the unique position of being able to use their influence to demand better, since together they hold a majority of the market share in the food retail sector in Australia. Earlier this month it was announced that Coles had come to the table and would develop the Ethical Retail Supply Chain Accord in a new partnership with the SDA, TWU and the AWU to protect the rights of all workers, regardless of their visa or employment status. This is an excellent development. Together, industry and unions can pressure labour hire firms, agriculture industry bodies and farmers into making sure ever worker who is helping get produce into stores is being paid a fair day's wage for a fair day's work. It follows Coles and the TWU reaching a separate agreement to promote transparency and end-to-end compliance in its transport supply chain and delivery work in the on-demand economy.

I think the Australian people would expect that, when they buy their mincemeat and tomatoes for their bolognaise that night, or the apples and oranges for the kids' lunch boxes that week, what they spend their money on is being grown, produced, packed and delivered in an ethical manner and that the people who are handling their groceries are being paid properly and treated fairly in the workplace. I know, from the meetings I've had with farmers and their representatives in my home state of Victoria, that they too want to ensure that the people they welcome to their farms to pick produce through labour hire firms are being employed lawfully and being paid correctly in accordance with the standards set out in the Fair Work Act.

Only by working together can this be achieved. That's why tonight I thank the SDA, the TWU and the AWU, as well as others in the industry, for their leadership. Their commitment to forge an innovative partnership to tackle supply-chain-wide work exploitation is one that ought to serve as an example to others. I thank the Senate.