I attended a modern slavery event on Friday 8 February, hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. The esteemed panel of speakers included:
- Ms Jennifer Westacott – Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
- Mr Moe Turaga – Survivor of slavery in Australia and anti-slavery advocate
- Hon Alex Hawke, MP – Commonwealth Special Minister of State
- Hon Tanya Plibersek, MP – Deputy Leader Federal Parliamentary Labour
- Mr Mans Carlsson-Sweeny – Head of ESG Research, Ausbil Investment Management Pty Ltd
- Ms Jo-anne Schofield – National Secretary, United Voice
- Mr Jeffrey Westbrook – Head of Procurement, St Vincent’s Health Australia
- Mr Shehan Michael – Procurement Manager, Sydney Catholic Schools
- Ms Sonja Duncan – Director, SD Strategies Sustainability Expert
These guest speakers represent a cross-section of society including the Liberal Party, Labour Party, Catholic Archdiocese, business and trade unions.
One commonality across the panel was the passion and focus of the speakers on the end game of eradicating modern slavery in one generation. I am excited to share their perspectives, wisdom and insights with you.
BACKGROUND
According to the Walk Free Foundation, there are approximately 40 million victims of modern slavery, globally. And, although modern slavery is a crime in Australia, right now there are around 15,000 people enslaved in this country. Australia is the second jurisdiction in the world to bring in modern slavery legislation, the first being the United Kingdom.
Two thirds of victims of modern slavery are living in the Asia-Pacific region so it’s no wonder that other countries in our region are looking at our Modern Slavery Act – most notably New Zealand, who will soon be following.
Modern day slavery involves exploitation, threats, violence and coercion, and is perpetrated by those seeking profit and gain at someone else’s expense. Slavery is illegal almost everywhere, yet it occurs in factories, mines, fields, fisheries, and in the provision of general goods and services. It’s in the clothes we wear and the food we eat.
Today, modern slavery is an economic issue.
WHAT IS BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY DOING TO ADDRESS MODERN SLAVERY?
The Catholic Archdiocese has played a major role in campaigning government to enact legislation relating to modern slavery. Other organisations, NGOs and individuals who have also been influential include Jennifer Westacott, the Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia. Ms Westacott has had enormous influence pushing for modern slavery legislation and has brought business and government with her.
The Catholic Archdiocese is playing a leading role within the community and is focused on eradicating modern slavery in its aged care facilities, hospitals, schools and universities. It is reviewing its contractual and business practices to ensure its supply chains are free of modern slavery.
Understanding modern slavery risks can be tricky and complex but the best way to start is by understanding your supply chain and by conducting a supply chain risk assessment of your products and services. It’s not only about understanding your tier one suppliers, but all suppliers within the supply chain.
Companies like Kmart and Target (part of Wesfarmers) have partnerships with the Better Work Program (BWP). The BWP is a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation and it brings together government, global brands, factory owners, unions and workers to improve working conditions in the garment industry.
Woolworths conducts annual risk assessments of its suppliers and has unannounced factory site inspections. It addresses risk and reports every twelve months.
Both sides of government – Liberal and Labour – have a strong commitment to tackling modern slavery. As Tanya Plibersek says, “no one thinks job well done, we can relax”. The Labour Government thinks there should be penalties for failing to report or for breaching the Australian Modern Slavery Act but as it currently stands, the Act has no penalties for non-compliance. The NSW Modern Slavery Act (2018) differs here however because it does include penalties for non-compliance.
MODERN SLAVERY IN AUSTRALIA
One of the panel members, Mr Moe Turaga, shared his shocking story of being lured into modern slavery in Australia.
Moe is originally from Fiji. His cousin, a Fijian elder, said he could come to Australia and work and study and earn enough money to send home to his mum.
Once Moe arrived in Australia, his cousin took his passport, gave it to a migration agent and told him there was a debt that had to be paid for his travel and visa cost.
For over three years, Moe worked from dusk to dawn seven days a week, doing hard work picking grapes and watermelons. Moe and his fellow workers lived in appalling conditions and had very little contact with the outside world. It was two years before he had an opportunity to speak with his mum and that’s when Moe found out that no money from his work had been sent home. He was devastated!
Fortunately, Moe met a kind neighbouring farmer named Audrey at the local church who offered him and his co-workers jobs, got their passports back and changed their lives.
Moe is now a modern slavery advocate living in Queensland, but he offers a final comment saying, “many survivors have a real sense of shame”.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here’s a snapshot of the many insights and interesting information shared during the seminar:
- If a business model is based on modern slavery, it won’t be sustainable
- Modern slavery, although likely to present in developing nations, can also occur in developed nations like Australia, the UK and Europe, especially where there is an influx of migrants
- The Australian Modern Slavery Act requires investment companies to report on modern slavery in their portfolios, unlike the UK modern slavery legislation, which does not specify ‘investors’
- Labour exploitation comes down to two key issues: lack of a living wage and lack of trade unions
- Child labour exists because parents are not paid enough
- The draft guidance document on the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act (2018) will be released very soon
HOW TO GET STARTED – INSIGHTS FROM THE PANEL ON ADDRESSING MODERN SLAVERY
- Partnership is the new leadership – collaborate!
- Review current procurement practices and risk management
- Integrate modern slavery awareness into existing processes
- Conduct a human rights risk assessment – use platforms such as the Global Slavery Index and Transparency International to help identify modern slavery hot spots
- Consolidate your suppliers – give them a reason to improve their human and labour rights practices, give them more business
- Establish robust grievance mechanisms
- Align KPIs in the procurement team with your procurement policy – i.e. don’t have conflicting demands like price discounts and negotiations
- Finally, and importantly, carefully consider your modern slavery statement:
§ Be realistic
§ Be honest
§ Be transparent
CONCLUSION
Modern slavery should be about upholding the human rights of individuals, not about ticking boxes. Large businesses are likely to unknowingly be complicit in modern slavery, but they have a huge opportunity to influence their supply chains with the might of their purchasing power.
Here’s what we can ALL do to eradicate modern slavery:
- Put ourselves in the shoes of someone who has no choice to go to work and who is working in unbearable and unsafe working conditions
- Work on knowing what’s in your supply chains
- Inspire a culture of discovery in supply chains
- Be aware when we are purchasing from high risk areas, but don’t stop purchasing from these regions otherwise nothing will change
- Work on building social capital in developing countries
- Support ethical organisations and Fair Trade
Every life has value, purpose and dignity. Let’s get moving to eradicate modern slavery!
FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES
Slave to Fashion by Safia Minney, is an excellent book for someone who is wanting to learn about modern slavery, the UK modern slavery legislation and what fashion brands are doing to address modern slavery. The author provides excellent resources to assist in making more ethical purchasing decisions.
Walk Free Foundation
The Walk Free Foundation is an organisation working towards ending modern slavery. It is known for its publication of the Global Slavery Index. In 2013, the Walk Free Foundation became a founder of the Freedom Fund, an anti-slavery non-profit organisation.
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage (Report)