1 June 2020

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and unions, write to express our concern regarding the alarming absence of union or civil society representation in the Department of Home Affair’s newly established Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group (Expert Advisory Group).

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Seventy people, including many of the leading experts in this field from unions, academia and civil society organisations, nominated for the Expert Advisory Group. Yet the appointments...overwhelmingly represent business interests.

Six out of the ten appointments are from large Australian companies. Three of the five permanent members of the group – the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group and the Business Council of Australia, also directly represent the interests of business and a fourth (the Global Compact Network for Australia) is predominantly a network of Australian business. There are no representatives from either the Australian Council of Trade Unions, individual unions or broader civil society organisations including human rights or anti-slavery organisations.

This leads to the disturbing result that Australia’s efforts in combatting modern slavery will be driven by companies that are subject to Australia’s modern slavery laws, rather than the interests of people at risk of modern slavery.

We urgently request that further appointments be made to the Expert Advisory Group from unions and civil society organisations to ensure balanced representation in informing the Australian Government in its approach to eradicating modern slavery in supply chains.

[Human Rights Law Centre; Australian Council of Trade Unions; United Workers Union; Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania; Be Slavery Free; Transparency International Australia; Business and Human Rights Resource Centre; Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR); Australian Lawyers for Human Rights; Salvation Army; Action Aid; RMIT Business and Human Rights Centre; Victorian Trades Hall Council; Professor Justine Nolan, University of New South Wales; Professor Fiona Haines, University of Melbourne; Dr Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney; Adjunct Professor Holly Cullen, University of Western Australia; Dr Alice de Jonge, Monash University; Dr Fiona McGaughey, University of Western Australia; Dr Annie Delaney, RMIT University; Dr Pichamon Yeophantong, UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy]