Wins in the fight against modern slavery
Everyone deserves to work in freedom and dignity.
In December, we made important progress towards stopping Australian companies from profiting from forced labour in their supply chains.
Our advocacy together with unions, faith groups, and modern slavery advocates successfully led to achieving our goal of Australia’s first national, independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner being appointed.
The Albanese Government also made its first steps to reforming Australia’s weak modern slavery reporting laws, including agreeing to introduce penalties for large companies which fail to report or publish false information.
While these wins are an important step forward, big corporations should be required to not just report, but to take action to identify and address their modern slavery risks.
The government has agreed to consult next year on whether to introduce a ‘due diligence’ requirement that would make this a reality.
We will continue to push hard for stronger modern slavery laws that drive real change for the 28 million workers trapped in forced labour globally.
We will keep fighting for a future where every single worker who grows the food we eat and makes the goods we consume, can live and works in freedom and dignity.
First results from an independent human rights and environmental impact assessment of the Panguna mine
In 2021, in response to a human rights complaint brought by 170 local community members, represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, Rio Tinto agreed to fund an independent human rights and environmental impact assessment of the Panguna mine. Communities in Bougainville have just received the draft results from the investigation, which focused on the most serious areas of concern.
Read more
Standing with communities to hold Rio Tinto to account
The Human Rights Law Centre is working with communities in Bougainville to seek justice for the environmental devastation left by Rio Tinto’s Panguna mine. Together, we are calling for action so people can live safely on their land again.
Read more
Advocating for strong laws to end modern slavery
The Human Rights Law Centre is calling on the Albanese Government to strengthen our modern slavery laws. Our laws need requirements on companies to take action to address modern slavery, and penalties for those that do not. We are advocating for independent oversight through a new Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Read more
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, including the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Darug and Wadawurrung people where we work from.
We pay our respect to Elders, both past and present.
This land always was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
WARNING: This site contains images or names of people who have passed away.