"More than 40,000 people are living in modern slavery in Australia", 24 May 2023

The number of people living in modern slavery in Australia has more than doubled in the past four years amid a rise in migrant workers who came to ease labour shortages but have been exploited in rural areas, and experienced wage theft and unsafe working conditions.

[...]

Commissioned by international human rights group Walk Free, founded by Grace Forrest of the Australian Minderoo Foundation, the report estimates that on any given day in 2021 there were 41,000 individuals living in modern slavery in Australia. That’s up from 15,000 in the 2018 report, and equates to a prevalence of 1.6 people for every 1000 people in the country.

[...]

The report called on governments to legislate against state-owned or private companies sourcing goods or services linked to modern slavery and ensure that human rights are embedded in efforts to build a green economy.

“Governments worldwide continue to display a shocking capacity for cognitive dissonance; for example, funding support services for women and girls while simultaneously failing to close legislative gaps that increase their risk of being forced to marry, such as not having a legal minimum age of marriage set at 18 without exception,” Forrest said.