Targeted Review of Modern Slavery Offences open for public consultation

The Albanese Government has today opened its targeted review of modern slavery offences for public consultation.

Today, I convened the fourteenth Ministerial Meeting of the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery (National Roundtable), the Australian Government’s key mechanism for consultation with civil society and industry stakeholders on modern slavery issues. 

This year’s National Roundtable discussions focussed on Australia’s international and domestic response in a changing world, the importance of victim and survivor voice informing these efforts, and ensuring our legislative frameworks remain effective now and into the future.

Australia has comprehensively criminalised modern slavery practices in Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (the Criminal Code), reflecting Australia’s obligations under international law and commitment to eliminating this abhorrent practice.

The targeted review led by the Attorney-General’s Department in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, will ensure Australia’s laws are able to effectively tackle all forms of modern slavery.

Consultation on the targeted review will close on 7 March 2023.

We welcome submissions from all interested stakeholders, including victims and survivors, criminal justice practitioners, civil society organisations, community groups, and academia.

The Government is also announcing today, the establishment of the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Research Network.

This interdisciplinary research network will bring together scholars and practitioners from across Government, NGOs, business and academia engaged in research on human trafficking and modern slavery.

Modern slavery - including human trafficking, forced labour, and forced marriage - are abhorrent crimes that have no place in our society.

The Government is committed to strengthening our response to modern slavery at home and abroad by strengthening the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) and establishing a Federal Anti-slavery Commissioner to support compliance and transparency in Australia’s supply chains.