Commissioner's Speech at Strategic Plan Launch
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Good morning, everyone,
I’d like to begin by thanking Uncle Allan Murray for a wonderful Welcome to Country. I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we meet today – the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation – and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.
I acknowledge the exploitation, including slavery and slavery-like practices, that were perpetrated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. I acknowledge that for some, these abuses are not historical but exist in living memory.
I would like to thank the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, for joining us today, and for her remarks on the Government’s modern slavery agenda and for formally launching our Strategic Plan. We are honoured by the Attorney-General’s interest in our work and her attendance here today. Thank you, Minister.
I am deeply thankful to the people with lived experience of modern slavery, survivors, advocates and community leaders, many of whom are here today and others who could not be with us, who contributed their expertise and insights through our consultations on this Strategic Plan. These experiences have profoundly shaped our priorities.
In particular, I’d like to thank Moe Turaga, who served as Lived Experience Advisor throughout the development of the Plan. I also acknowledge Matilda Constable-Webb, Bibi Goul-Mossavi and Sarah S, who shared their expertise that shaped our targeted consultations with people with lived experience.
I acknowledge all those who contributed to the consultation process, spanning a wide range of stakeholders. Your input, expertise and commitment have helped us chart the direction of this Office and our priorities over the next three years.
Finally, thank you to KPMG, Meg Brody and her team, for your work conducting the consultations and synthesising the outcomes to inform this Plan. We also appreciate KPMG for hosting us today for this launch. Terrific that Doug Freguson and David Bradbury could join us today. Thank you.
Now, let me turn to why we’re here today, and what this Strategic Plan represents.
Modern slavery is not an abstract problem that happens “elsewhere.” It happens here – in our cities, homes, workplaces, and in global supply chains that provide the goods and services we consume every day.
Everyone deserves to live and work in freedom, and to have the opportunity for their families to thrive.
To this end, successive Australian governments of both sides of the political spectrum have supported laws, policies, treaties and multiple domestic and international initiatives that protect freedom.
Many of the ecosystem of Departments and institutions charged with those missions are represented here today.
We appreciate the cooperation and support shown to the Office.
Last year the Parliament created this Office as an additional pillar in the Australian response to the crimes of modern slavery.
The Modern Slavery Act outlines the Commissioner’s functions in some detail—and that charter fundamentally shapes this Strategic Plan.
It is an unusual role, defined in large part by what it can’t do, as well as what it must.
The Commissioner has no investigative or determinative powers, no authority to compel action by any agency, and has no role in regulating business reporting under the Act.
You may well ask, what is it you do?
The role of the Office is to promote best practice, to advise, to support and liaise with all stakeholders, to promote collaboration, and to advocate to the government for continuous improvement in policy and practice.
Effectively a catalyst for improving Australia’s response through positive engagement.
Hence, the title of the Strategic Plan “Building Australia’s ambition and Impact”.
However, we can only fulfill this charter and have impact we hope for, with the cooperation and support of all of you, our stakeholders.
So, in a way, it’s our plan for you.
In developing this Plan earlier this year, we committed to ensuring it would be guided by lived experience.
We involved and heard directly from victim-survivors, which brought the issue out of policy and into people’s lives.
That is why it is so crucial to involve people with lived experience in shaping policy and strategy. We don’t know what we don’t know, and a well-intentioned policy is not necessarily an effective one. Hearing directly from survivors tells us what is working, what isn’t, and where change is needed.
Their expertise shaped our thinking and gave this Plan its moral purpose: to deliver outcomes that improve lives.
Over several months, we sought input from more than 250 individuals and organisations, including 34 people with lived experience. The wisdom and perspectives of these stakeholders, including many in the room today, of whom are here today- shaped every part of this Plan.
The Plan outlines where we focus our energy and influence over the next three years, so that other stakeholders can collaborate and understand where are headed.
The Plan is built around four interconnected priorities, each reflecting a vision for the future of Australia’s response to modern slavery.
Firstly, we want to transform and promote systems that centre survivors and people with lived experience. Here, our vision is ambitious but simple: Survivors should be involved in policy design and able to access the right support at the right time.
On the first point, we will be encouraging the government to establish a standing, independent survivor voice to Government. We have seen progress in survivor participation in the National Roundtable and other government consultations; we need to extend that into co-designing the next iteration of our national strategy. Survivors must have a voice in shaping the policies that are meant to protect and support them.
My Office will also be advocating for more tailored and accessible victim support that is responsive to the unique needs of individuals. We heard this time and again during our consultations. Support should prioritise protection, self-determination and recovery over a person’s ability to contribute to a criminal justice process.
Second, we will identify opportunities to strengthen Australia’s law and policy responses to modern slavery.
Our aim is to create a legal and policy environment that prevents exploitation before it occurs. That requires evidence-driven, survivor-informed, and forward-looking initiatives that build on international best practice.
The Government has taken strong measures to better protect migrant workers in Australia, including the Workplace Justice Visa and Strengthening Reporting Protections Pilot. We welcome these changes because they are responsive to worker needs and can prevent rights violations across the continuum of exploitation.
My Office is now engaging with a range of stakeholders on the upcoming consultations to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act.
These offer a real opportunity to move the dial beyond reporting to action that has real impact on the ground. We are also exploring necessary reforms beyond these consultations, including what information and support is needed to ensure goods made with forced labour do not enter the Australian market. My Office is currently engaged in supporting government efforts to establish a national labour hire regulation scheme.
Third, we want to see business and government move towards better due diligence.
We will support stronger, sustained action across all sectors to address modern slavery risk. This includes promoting effective due diligence, regulations that support it, and collaborative approaches across industries and governments.
We recognise that many businesses have made substantial investments and progress in addressing modern slavery risks. We have been listening closely to understand both the successes and challenges you face, and we are committed to working in partnership with you.
We have commenced engagement with the Government and other key stakeholders on issues such as uncertainty about competition law, challenges faced by SMEs, and risk in renewable industries. We have also heard of the need for practical tools to support reporting entities – a handful are already published, and more are coming.
And last, but not least, we will work on improving access to justice and remedy for survivors.
Justice must be timely, dignified and tangible. Survivors should be able to see positive impact of the system on their lives, whether through effective law enforcement, access to support services, or meaningful remediation of harms. Because meaningful remedy is essential to restoring dignity and trust.
The Office is committed to identifying the very real and multiple challenges that victims face in accessing justice. This can only be done by listening to the experiences of victims and survivors, and we have started here with a Rapid Assessment of Australia's Criminal Justice Response, conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology and informed by the contributions of 34 survivors.
These four priority areas reflect the scale and the breadth of responsibility, and collaboration required, across all stakeholder groups.
The responsibility is significant, but so too is the opportunity. Many are already doing a lot of heavy lifting in these areas, but this Plan highlights an urgent need to mobilise and coordinate that work more effectively.
As we developed this plan, one message came through repeatedly: the need for systemic change that delivers real impact for people.
Over the next three years, we will use our position to catalyse action.
Let me put this in the global context, we are already seeing international regulatory trends accelerate mandatory human rights due diligence, import controls on goods linked to forced labour, and stronger enforcement for ethical business practices.
Australia cannot afford to wait. The Modern Slavery Act has laid the foundation, but if we are serious about driving change, now is the time to shift from reporting to requiring real action from large businesses.
We have important opportunities ahead, including reform of the Act and the development of a new national strategy. These are pivotal moments that we must seize, as they will shape the direction and success of Australia’s efforts for years to come.
The Government is consulting on reporting measures and on high- risk declarations. On this, I will be advocating for meaningful Government reform that includes due diligence requirements for large businesses, and enhanced capabilities to identify goods made with forced labour entering Australia, and a regulatory response that effectively prevents such imports occurring.
We will offer practical, feasible policy options and guidance that can be translated into action on the ground.
In closing, this plan is ambitious, and it has to be.
Together, we can accelerate action, strengthen our systems and create a world where every person is able to live and work in freedom and dignity.
Thank you.