Slavery and trafficking
Discover modern slavery and trafficking in Australia, and learn what action is needed to protect vulnerable people from exploitation and serious harm.
Summary
- Australia is not immune from modern slavery.
- The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day in 2021, there were 41,000 people living in modern slavery in Australia.
- Forced marriage is amongst the most common forms of modern slavery reported to Australian authorities, with the Australian Federal Police receiving 91 reports of forced marriage in 2023-24.
Download the fact sheet
Slavery and trafficking
This fact sheet provides information on issues raised in the report card as well as findings from a range of reports and submissions made by the Commission over the past 12 months.
Australia’s criminalises slavery and slavery-like practices and introduced a transparency framework under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth). In 2024, Australia’s first national Anti-Slavery Commissioner was appointed.
Strengthening Australia’s Modern Slavery Framework
Safety | Recent human rights advances
Australia has improved protections against modern slavery and people trafficking, including through establishing the Modern Slavery Commissioner as an oversight mechanism. Further reforms are required to improve the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of these protections, as identified by the McMillan Review.
The Modern Slavery Act was reviewed in 2023, known as the McMillan review.
It found that the Act had raised awareness and led to improved business practices. However, there was no hard evidence that the Act had caused meaningful change for people living in modern slavery.
The review made 30 recommendations to strengthen Australia’s anti-slavery responses including:
- lowering the revenue threshold for modern slavery reporting
- introducing penalties for non-compliance
- requiring reporting entities to have a due diligence system for responding to modern slavery risks
- introducing a high-risk declaration procedure.
The Australian Government’s response agrees (in full, part, or in principle) to 25 of the 30 recommendations.
In addition, civil society continues to advocate for victim-survivors of modern slavery to receive meaningful support and redress, including through the introduction of a national compensation scheme.
A recent overview of state and territory victims of crime financial assistance schemes identified significant differences in the assistance available to victim-survivors across Australia. A national compensation scheme is crucial to ensure fair and effective access to justice and financial security for victim-survivors across Australia in line with international human rights obligations.
Review recommendations haven't been fully implemented
Implementing the McMillan Review’s recommendations in full would strengthen Australia’s protections against modern slavery, aligning Australia’s response with international best practice and human rights obligations.
Priority action
The Australian Government should fully implement the recommendations of the McMillan modern slavery review,including a national compensation scheme for victim-survivors.
