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Article

10 Jun 2018

Author:
Lisa Visentin, The Sydney Morning Herald

Australia: Premier urged to ensure Modern Slavery Bill passes with no amendments in 'show of good faith'

4 June 2018

...Christian Democrat MP Paul Green, who has championed his Modern Slavery Bill as "historic", said he would wield the party's balance-of-power position as a bargaining chip.

Mr Green...is concerned the government will use amendments to significantly change the bill....

...[T]he bill...proposes to create an independent anti‑slavery commissioner who will oversee a plan to combat human trafficking and slavery-like practices in NSW.

It also proposes mandatory reporting requirements on commercial organisations aimed at slavery-proofing supply chains, and creates new offences for cyber-sex trafficking and child-forced labour.

...NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has agreed to introduce the bill into the lower house.

...[T]he government has prepared a suite of amendments.

Mr Green said amendments..."basically remove the skeleton of the bill".

"I wouldn't be happy to put forward a shell of a bill," he said. "We've sent comment to the Premier that we would like the bill to proceed without amendment."

A government source said the amendments were designed to address concerns about the constitutionality of the bill.