30 July 2020

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney is accusing the NSW government of being undemocratic and a disgrace after failing to enact a law to eradicate modern slavery two years after it was unanimously passed by Parliament.

[...] Archbishop Anthony Fisher said the government was "stalling for time" after having declared the law a "moral imperative" in 2018.

"Disgrace and dishonour it has been that for many years our community was blind, deaf and mute to the problem of modern slavery and human trafficking," he said.

"But how much more disgraceful and dishonourable after it has publicly recognised this evil, moved to eradicate it from our supply chains and by other action, and then thwarted such measures apparently so businesses and consumers may continue to benefit from slavery.

"I didn't dream that a law, passed by both houses of our state Parliament and given the Royal assent, with wide public support and in keeping with the best of our Christian anti-slavery and secular human rights traditions, would be blocked from coming into force by a democratic government."

[...]

"Yet here we are, two years later, and that law has still not come into force."

The NSW government announced a parliamentary inquiry into the act after it was passed. The inquiry supported the enactment of the act by January 1 next year with some amendments including a three-yearly review.

[...]