Australia Imports Billions in Goods at Risk of Forced Labour, Commissioner Warns

Australia’s Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Chris Evans, believes the federal government’s planned crackdown on modern slavery is insufficient on its own. He advocates for legally requiring large companies to identify and rectify forced labor within their supply chains. While welcoming the proposed criminal offense for companies failing to prevent modern slavery, Evans emphasizes that criminal prosecutions are challenging and will only address a limited number of cases.

• Australia’s Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans states that planned government measures against modern slavery are not enough.
• Evans calls for large companies to be legally obligated to find and fix forced labor in their supply chains.
• He notes that criminal prosecutions for modern slavery are difficult and resource-intensive.
• A clear legal obligation for companies to actively address modern slavery risks is needed to change business practices.