Modern slavery bills on hold during political negotiations

Labour MP Camilla Belich and National MP Greg Fleming both have modern slavery reporting bills entered into Parliament’s private members’ ballot. Their bills seek to emulate the laws of major trading partners like Australia, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom, where larger companies have to audit their supply chains annually to ensure they are not tainted by modern slavery such as bonded and forced labour.

But the bills will stay in the ballot unless drawn out or if 61 or more MPs support their introduction to the House.

Mr Fleming and Ms Belich said they are in talks with their caucuses to progress the issue. Ms Belich said it appeared there was consensus on the need for modern slavery laws between National and Labour, including at the highest levels of the National Party.

The lack of modern slavery reporting laws, which would require businesses with revenues of $50 million or more to audit their supply chains annually in a bid to identify and eradicate modern slavery, has been increasingly seen as an embarrassment to the country.

That was apparent at the United Nations Business and Human Rights Regional Forum for Australia and New Zealand being held in Melbourne earlier this week, which was dominated by Australian companies and politicians.

Rebekah Armstrong, World Vision’s head of advocacy and justice, described the forum as a wake-up call for New Zealand, which had fallen behind Australia.

Ms Fleming said World Vision, along with Tearfund, had been putting pressure on MPs to get the Government to act, saying in recent weeks they had organised for supporters to write letters and emails to their local MPs.

Many larger companies operating in New Zealand including Fonterra, supermarkets, banks and insurers, are already caught under Australian and European modern slavery laws, and so already publish annual reports on their activities.

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National, Labour MPs to work together to break slavery law impasse (By Rob Stock/The Press – subscription required)