Albanese Government establishes Anti-Slavery Commissioner

The Albanese Government has established Australia's first federal Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

The passage through Parliament today of the Modern Slavery Amendment (Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner) Bill 2023 delivers on the Government's election commitment to establish an independent Commissioner to lead the fight against modern slavery.

The Anti-Slavery Commissioner will further strengthen the work undertaken across government, business and civil society to prevent and respond to modern slavery by supporting victims and survivors, raising community awareness, and helping business address the risk of modern slavery practices in their operations and supply chains.

The Government committed $8 million over four years in the 2023-24 Budget to support the Commissioner's establishment and operation.

The Commissioner will also play a key role in helping to shape the implementation of future modern slavery reforms, including those arising from the statutory review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018.

The Government will shortly begin the search for the inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner through a transparent and merit-based selection process.