"Federal election 2022: ALP to crack down on forced labour", 13 May 2022

Major companies that import goods from China would have to guarantee their supply chains were free from Uighur forced ­labour under an Albanese government plan to tackle modern ­slavery.

Labor would establish an independent anti-slavery commissioner, to be located within the Attorney-General's Department, which would publish an annual list of countries, regions and industries associated with high levels of slavery. “Companies importing from these places would be ­required to prove goods are not made with forced labour,” opposition foreign affairs spokes­woman Penny Wong said.

A 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute study found 82 global brands – including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen – used factories linked to Beijing’s “Xinjiang Aid” forced-labour ­program.

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The policy follows a study by a coalition of human rights organisations earlier this year, which found nearly 80 per cent of companies covered by the Modern Slavery Act were failing to comply with its requirements. About half failed to identify obvious modern slavery risks in their operations or supply chains. Only one in four garment companies sourcing from China identified the risk of forced Uighur labour in their supply chains.

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