Lived Experience Engagement

The Office of the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner (OAASC) is pleased to invite expressions of interest for Lived Experience Advisors to shape and co-deliver work under the OAASC’s Strategic Plan 2025-28. Two or three Advisors will be appointed for 12 months to participate, in a part-time capacity, in one or more of the following areas of work: 

1. Co-develop the Commissioner’s policy recommendations for a strong, sustainable and independent survivor voice to Government;  
2. Inform and support the Commissioner's advocacy agenda for a new national strategy to address slavery and trafficking;  
3. Advise on implementation of the Commissioner’s business engagement strategy, including cross sector collaboration;
4. Advise the Commissioner on engaging and supporting people with lived experience as required under the Modern Slavery Amendment (Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner) Act 2024 (Cth).   

We are inviting applications, acceptable in a variety of formats, from persons with lived experience of modern slavery in Australia who are interested in building and sharing their expertise to support the Commissioner’s advocacy.  

Information on role requirements and how to apply is below. You can find additional information in the Frequently Asked Questions.

If you are unsure whether this is the right fit, we invite you to reach out for a confidential conversation before applying. You can email us at: contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au.  

Expressions of interest close at 11:59pm, 5 March 2026.

1. Lived experience of modern slavery in Australia in any of its forms, including: debt bondage, forced labour, commercial sexual exploitation, forced marriage, child and human trafficking, servitude, including domestic servitude, and worst forms of child labour.  
2. Understanding (or willingness to learn) of the role and functions of the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner, government processes and the Modern Slavery Act.  
3. Willingness and ability to engage with sensitive and complex issues, while maintaining self-care and boundaries; willingness to establish a personal wellness plan, which we will support you to create.  
4. Commitment to survivor-centred systems change, with a focus on influencing policy and practice beyond individual stories.
5. Ability to contribute in a collaborative environment, sharing insights constructively and respectfully with other team members and stakeholders engaging with the Office.
6. Ability to manage time, including tracking and billing for the hours you work. We will provide training and support for how to do this.
7. Ability to access and use basic technology (e.g., email, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) and Teams, which is an online meeting platform). We will provide support if required (e.g., training, troubleshooting). Advisors will need to provide their own computer as the Office is unable to loan out government-issued equipment.  
8. Availability to work remotely (or from your home) and contribute approximately 20 days (or 150 hours) over 12 months for individual and group work, such as meetings and workshops. This may be spread across the year or concentrated across a few months, depending on the project. We will plan your hours with you, with flexibility depending on your circumstances.  

While not required for the role, it would be helpful to highlight any experience you have in advocacy, policy consultation and survivor leadership initiatives, particularly those relating to anti-slavery or human rights.  

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including First Nations peoples, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ individuals, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and people of all ages and abilities.  

If you require any adjustments or accommodations during the application process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Support and development 

We are committed to providing support and professional development to Lived Experience Advisors. Examples are below, but we will talk with you about your personal needs and preferences and will do our best to accommodate you.

• Orientation to the Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s mandate and government processes.
• Training in trauma-informed governance and policy engagement.
• Monthly group debriefing with an independent provider. We’ll check in before and after meetings, and we'll plan additional individual supports with you in a Personal Wellness Plan.
• Assistance with technology, invoicing, and administrative tasks.
• Opportunities for mentorship or professional development in governance, policy, and advocacy.

How to apply

Please email a response to the following questions to contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au by 11:59pm, 5 March 2026:  

1. What is your name?  
2. What form or forms of modern slavery have you experienced in Australia? (You do not need to provide details of your experience of exploitation.)
3. Can you share any personal, community, or professional experiences that you feel are relevant to this role? This may include any community or cultural knowledge or connections and any intersectional forms of lived expertise.  
4. Why do you want to join the Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s team as a Lived Experience Advisor? What kind of impact would you like to have? We encourage applicants to consider the Commissioner’s functions in their response, provided below.
5. What kind of support do you need to thrive as a Lived Experience Advisor?  
6. What is your preferred mode of communication? (Example: by phone, text, email)
7. Do you consent to your de-identified EOI being shared with a panel comprised of OAASC staff, a person with lived experience of modern slavery or abuse, and a community member who have all agreed to strict privacy and confidentiality terms? (more information is provided in Q14 and Q15 of the Frequently Asked Questions.) 

The OAASC is committed to inclusion and accessibility. You can provide your response in a variety of formats, including in writing or through a video or audio recording. 

If you wish to respond in writing, please email your written response to the above questions to contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au.  

If you wish you respond in a video or audio recording, please email your recorded response to contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au.  

Expressions of interest do not have to be polished or extensive and they should not include highly personal information, such as your experience of exploitation or your home address. 

You do not need to be an expert to apply. Your perspective, insights, and lived knowledge are valuable and welcome.

• Promote compliance with the Modern Slavery Act
• Support Australian entities to address modern slavery risks
• Support collaboration and engagement within and across sectors
• Support survivors of modern slavery through provision of information and guidance materials
• Engage and promote engagement with survivors to inform anti-slavery measures
• Support and conduct education and community awareness
• Support, conduct and evaluate research
• Collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to modern slavery
• Consult and liaise with Commonwealth, State and Territory governments & with other persons and organisations on modern slavery matters
• Advocate to the Commonwealth Government for continuous improvement
• Provide advice to the Minister on modern slavery matters
• Engage with survivors to inform and support the performance of the above functions

1. Will I be paid, how and how often? 

Yes. Advisors will be paid in accordance with rates recommended by the Remuneration Tribunal (Remuneration and Allowances for Holders of Part-time Public Office) Determination 2025 (see page 5). This comes to approximately $65.00/hour or a daily rate of $476.00 (inclusive of GST). You must tell us if you are registered for GST and we encourage you to seek professional tax advice.  

Payment is by electronic funds transfer into your bank account. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer payment in other forms at this time, but we are continuing to explore alternatives. 

To be paid, Advisors will need to submit an invoice for the time worked, which must be planned beforehand with a manager. This means completing a one-page document that details the type of work performed and the number of hours worked. We will support Advisors to set up the paperwork needed to receive payment and we will provide training on how to complete and submit an invoice.  

Invoices should be submitted fortnightly, or every two weeks to ensure timely payment. We aim to process payments within two weeks of your invoice being received. Generally, Advisors will not be required to cover any costs upfront. If this becomes necessary, we will process reimbursement promptly.

2. Do I need an ABN?

No, but it is advisable and we encourage Advisors to seek independent financial advice to understand their potential tax obligations. As a statutory office, we are not qualified or able to provide this advice, but we can refer Advisors to service providers who can help identify sources of reliable advice. If an ABN is not provided, Advisors may need to complete some additional paperwork, which we can assist with.   

3. Will there be travel and will those costs be covered?

We do not expect there to be much travel for this role. If we ask you to travel, we will cover related expenses, but these must be pre-approved with your manager.  

4. What kind of work will I be doing?

As explained in the role description, Advisors will support the Office to develop:  

1. policy recommendations for an independent survivor voice to Government;  
2. advocacy priorities for the next national strategy (post National Action Plan 2021-25);
3. advise on implementation of the Commissioner’s business engagement strategy;
4. strategies to engage and support survivors and people with lived experience in line with the Commissioner's obligations under the Modern Slavery Amendment Act.  

These projects align with the Commissioner’s functions under the Act and were identified as priorities by people with lived experience during our strategic plan consultations in 2025. Specific tasks may include co-authoring briefs and guidance materials; researching and brainstorming policy solutions; reviewing documents; and joining or speaking at forums and workshops. 

5. Where will I work?  

Due to limited office space, LE Advisor roles will be remote, meaning you will need to be able to work from your home or another quiet and private location where you have internet access. This is also because the Commissioner’s team is spread across a few states so Advisors may be working with team members who are not in the same city as themselves.  

6. What are the role requirements? 

The role has essential requirements that are outlined on page 2. If you have more questions or are unsure whether you meet these requirements, we encourage you to email us to discuss at contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au. You may wish to speak with a friend, peer or service provider to help you decide whether to apply.  

7. What support will I receive?  

We understand people have different life circumstances, responsibilities, and access needs. We will work with Advisors to plan meeting times and support participation that is safe, manageable and meaningful. 

Advisors will have access to wellbeing and debriefing support, both through OAASC and via an independent support provider. Onboarding and training will also be offered to ensure all members can participate confidently.

We will work with you to develop a Personal Wellness Plan/Risk Plan. This is not about the Office telling you how to look after yourself. It is a way of making sure that we communicate about your needs and put supports in place to help you thrive in the role. This is the way you can tell us formally how you wish to be supported if you find some of the work triggering or difficult. 

The OAASC will also provide cultural support, including respect and recognition of relevant ceremonies, customs, holidays and other occasions. We will identify additional cultural support needs through personal wellness planning.  

8. How much time is involved? 

We are seeking Advisors who are able to commit to at least 20 days (or 150 hours) over a 12 month period (with some flexibility). This may increase or decrease depending on an Advisor’s commitments within and external to the Office and may be completed across the year or within a shorter space of time depending on project timelines. All work hours will be planned and agreed with Advisors prior to starting in their roles. 

9. Do I need to be an Australian citizen? 

No, but you must be legally authorised to work in Australia.  

10. Do I need a CV to apply? 

No. You can submit a written, video or audio response if that is more accessible. If you would like to submit a CV with your response, please include it in your emailed response to the EOI questions at contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au by 11:59pm, 5 March 2026. 

11. Can I continue other work or advocacy? 

Yes, you may do other work or advocacy, but you must be very clear with stakeholders when you are representing your own or another group’s position or views. As with all team members, Advisors may not speak on behalf of the Commissioner or represent the views of the Office without explicit prior approval. We’ll talk through any boundaries, conflicts and support needs during onboarding. *If you are employed in related work or advocacy, you should check with those parties to confirm there are no conflicts from their perspective. 

12. How will my safety and privacy be respected? 

Advisors decide how visible or anonymous they want to be. There is no expectation that Advisors will take on a public role.  During the onboarding process, we will write a statement of work together that explains what you will be doing, your schedule, and the expected deliverables, or outcomes, of your work. Through an informed consent process, you will be able to set terms for privacy, which can be changed at any time at your request.  

13. Why are you hiring Advisors as contractors instead of employing a full-time individual role?  

We are hiring Advisors as independent contractors for several reasons.  

1. We want to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to work with the Office.
2. The Commissioner has very broad responsibilities under the Modern Slavery Amendment (Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner) Act 2024 (Cth). In addition to engaging people with lived experience, these include supporting businesses to comply with the Modern Slavery Act, promoting community awareness and research, and advocating to Governments for continuous improvement. To help meet this broad range of responsibilities, the Commissioner wants to engage people with diverse backgrounds and experiences of
3. People with lived experience told us through our Strategic Plan consultations they want choice and flexibility. We co-designed our initial engagement strategy, along with this Role Description, Expression of Interest and Frequently Asked Questions, with survivor leaders, who advised us that this approach is the most flexible and inclusive and the least invasive. More specifically, this approach means that Advisors do not need to go through an intrusive government security clearance and they do not have to hold Australian citizenship.
4. A group creates opportunities for Advisors to collaborate with and support each other.  
5. As the Office is still new, we would like to engage Advisors to help further develop and design our model for including Lived Experience in the work of the Office. This means that we may take a different approach after our first 12 months.

14. How are you deciding who is most qualified?  

We will assess applicants using a scoring framework that was designed by a person with lived experience to ensure fairness and relevance. The framework evaluates applicants’ experience using a numerical scale where strong experience will be scored higher. For example, a response that provides limited examples of collaboration would receive a lower score than one that shows a strong track record of collaboration. 

15. What happens after I apply?  

Stage 1: Review and shortlisting. First, we will acknowledge receipt of your EOI. Second, we will remove all identifying information from EOIs and share them with a small group of individuals including an OAASC team member, a person with lived experience of modern slavery and/or another form of exploitation and abuse; and a community member. This group, which we refer to as a 'panel' will review all expressions of interest and recommend a “shortlist” of individuals for an informal online interview.  [*Prior to appointment, panellists will sign a privacy agreement in which they commit to respecting the privacy and confidentiality of all applicants.] Third, we will notify applicants if they are shortlisted or not. If you are unsuccessful, please know that there will be other ways to engage with the Office. 

Stage 2: Informal interviews. The Commissioner and one staff member will meet with shortlisted applicants in an informal online interview. This gives us a chance to get to know each other better and offer applicants a chance to share more information about themselves.  

Stage 3: Selection and notification. We will select Advisors from this group and notify anyone who is not successful. We will communicate with people in the form they choose in their EOI application (eg. Email, phone, etc).   

16. What happens to my personal information when and after I apply?  

Only select OAASC staff and members of the application review panel will see your EOI. Panellists will be bound to strict terms of confidentiality and privacy.  

For records management, the OAASC uses a secure government-owned information management system. Your information will be securely stored in a folder on this system with limited access by key staff within the OAASC. This information is not accessible to the wider Attorney-General’s Department or other government agencies.  

If you have any additional questions that are not answered here, please email them to contact@antislaverycommissioner.gov.au.