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Human rights and trade union groups support new bill
A number of organisations have supported the Australian Senate in passing a new bill that means goods made with forced labour cannot be imported into the country.
Lauren Croft
This week, the Australian Senate voted to pass a new bill that bans any goods that were made using forced labour from being imported into the country.
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In a move that signals cross-party support for stronger measures to prevent Australian companies from profiting from modern slavery overseas, the passing of the Customs Amendment Bill 2021 also coincides with the 240th anniversary of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
The Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Womens’ Association, the Human Rights Law Centre, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Be Slavery Free have welcomed the bill’s passage in the Senate as an important step, and urged the Morrison government to immediately list the bill for debate in the House of Representatives.
Carolyn Kitto, co-director of Be Slavery Free, said that “240 years after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, it is encouraging to see Australia take a positive step to address the slavery we are connected with in Australia.”
“Australia imports nearly AU$17bn worth of goods ‘at risk’ of being made using slavery each year. We welcome this step by the Senate, it must progress swiftly,” she said.
The organisations are also calling on the government to implement additional accompanying measures to ensure the ban can be robustly enforced, including investigative powers and resourcing for Australian Border Force, an open referral mechanism, publication of customs data and a presumption of goods being detained where evidence indicates forced labour.
Freya Dinshaw, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, said that enforcing the ban was an important next step in ensuring goods made with forced labour don’t cross the border.
“Today’s vote puts us one step closer to ensuring Australian companies, and therefore consumers, are not fuelling forced labour overseas,” she said.
“We now call on the Australian Government to take swift action to bring the ban into law and ensure it is enforced. We should all be able to have confidence that the goods we purchase are not made at the expense of other peoples’ freedom.”
The new bill was introduced by independent senator Rex Patrick, who brought it for a vote on Monday. Following chilling testimony of mass internment and forced labour by Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China, the committee unanimously recommended the introduction of the ban.
Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O'Neil welcomed the “great step” and praised Senator Patrick.
“The vote by the senate today is a great step towards ending forced labour and ensuring that no Australian companies profit from slavery anywhere around the world. Senator Patrick showed important leadership in bringing this bill forward, and we thank him for his work on this issue,” he said.
Ramila Chanisheff, president of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Womens’ Association, added that the bill has “brought light to rampant slave and forced labour across the world.”
“Thank you, senator Rex Patrick, for standing up for us Uyghurs, and the millions who are currently suffering under modern slavery,” she said.
“This bill has the potential to curb industries profiting from human rights abuse, and to pressure foreign governments to further eradicate forced labour.”
