Strengthening Our Response to Slavery

Summary:

The Australian Human Rights Commission (Commission) submitted a report to the Attorney-General's Department's Targeted Review of Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The report highlights the need to strengthen the criminal code to combat modern slavery, debt bondage, and other forms of trafficking. The Commission's recommendations were influential in shaping the report's findings, with five of its recommendations being adopted in part or in full. The report emphasizes the importance of addressing the intersection between criminal and labour legislation, providing guidance on consent in sentencing, and updating physical borders to account for technology-facilitated slavery. The Commission's submission aims to improve the understanding and prosecution of modern slavery offenses in Australia.