Public consultation paper on the National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-2024
ALHR has made a submission in response to the public consultation paper ( Consultation Paper ) on the National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-2024 ( 2020-2024 Plan ).
We welcome the 2020-2024 Plan as an ongoing commitment of the Australian Government to its whole-of-Government strategy to address and respond to modern slavery, including its plan to support the effective implementation of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) ( Act ).
ALHR has previously made submissions regarding the Act, and continues to support and advocate for its effective implementation as a means of strengthening Australia’s domestic response to modern slavery.
Further, ALHR welcomes the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the 2020-24 Plan reflects emerging issues and trends, and a whole-of-community perspective. It is vital that the 2020-2024 Plan reflects the current issues facing individuals, the community, businesses and the nation as a whole regarding modern slavery, in order for the plan to be relevant and effective.
ALHR’s submission makes the following recommendations:
- Goal 2 should be expanded to include engagement with ‘the Australian and international community to understand and combat modern slavery’ .
- Businesses be provided with further education and guidance on how to implement a gender lens in their identification of, and responses to, modern slavery risks and when undertaking human rights due diligence.
- Goal 4 should be expanded to ‘ enhance ’ as well as ‘maintain’ the current legislative framework.
- In realising Goal 10 detailed information about non-judicial remedies should be provided to businesses, individuals and the community to empower victims of modern slavery to report and speak out.
- An additional goal to ‘engage the Australian business sector to understand and combat modern slavery’ should be included.
- A list of reporting entities should be made publicly available to ensure compliance under the Act.
- There should be an appointment of a Commonwealth Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
- The Government should ensure victims of modern slavery are empowered through their meaningful participation in the consultation process in the preparation of the 2020-2024 Plan.
- When developing its evaluation framework, the Government should consider the risks faced by victims in the collection of data to measure the effectiveness of the 2020-2024 Plan.
- The Government should consider establishing a centre tasked specifically with developing state-of-the-art data and evaluation measures to support an evidence-based approach to addressing modern slavery.
- The Government should continue to communicate and collaborate with civil society to ensure that consultation and participation occurs during the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the 202-2024 Plan, in particular the evaluation framework for the plan.
Read ALHR’s submission in full here