Australia’s anti-slavery watchdog has warned that the Albanese Government’s proposed crackdown on forced labour does not go far enough, demanding new laws forcing major companies to stamp out exploitation in their supply chains. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Australian anti-slavery commissioner Chris Evans says companies should be legally required to identify and address forced labour risks, warning Labor’s proposed criminal penalties would catch only a fraction of offenders while allowing exploitation to continue.
His intervention comes as Australia faces a 12.5 per cent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump, whose administration has accused dozens of trading partners of failing to adequately prevent goods produced through forced labour from entering their markets.
In a paper released on Thursday, Mr Evans warned that Australia was importing an estimated $US17.4 billion ($25 billion) worth of goods annually at risk of being produced through forced labour, despite laws requiring big businesses to disclose potential exploitation.
Under the Modern Slavery Act, introduced in 2018, large companies must report risks within their operations and supply chains, but face no legal obligation to actually address them.
Mr Evans wants that loophole closed under the federal government’s planned overhaul of the laws.
“The government’s announcement sends a clear signal that modern slavery is a serious crime and must be treated that way,” he said.
“But criminal prosecutions are challenging and resource-intensive, and will reach only a small number of cases. To change how business operates every day, we also need a clear legal obligation on large companies to take reasonable steps to find and fix modern slavery risks.”
Labor announced in July it would introduce a criminal offence for companies that fail to prevent modern slavery, alongside civil penalties for businesses breaching existing reporting requirements.
But Mr Evans argues criminal sanctions alone will not deliver meaningful change.
His proposed four-part overhaul would impose mandatory due-diligence obligations on large businesses and the federal government, establish criminal penalties for serious wrongdoing, and give victims the right to sue for compensation.
Companies would also face stronger annual reporting requirements tied to their legal obligations to tackle exploitation.
That move has raised the ire of the business community, with Minerals Council of Australia and the Business Council of Australia expressing concerns about the proposed criminal
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‘Does not go far enough’: Anti-slavery chief blasts Albanese amid Trump fallout (Sydney Morning Herald)
