On 28 June 2018, Home Affairs Assistant Minister Alex Hawke introduced the Modern Slavery Bill 2018 to the House. After months of deliberation and public consultation, Australia had begun the process of passing a Modern Slavery Act (MSA) in line with international obligations and expectations. ICS has been following the development of the MSA, and submitted
In early May, the Victorian Parliament debated proposed legislation which would see the tax-exempted status of many faith-based organisations revoked. Mark Sneddon and ICS were closely involved in assessing the bill, consulting with parliamentarians, and providing commentary on the potential consequences of the new laws. Below are extracts from the debate which cite Mark's important
On 18 May the Federal Government’s Inquiry into Religious Liberty under the Chairmanship of Philip Ruddock will present its report. It is very timely that the University of Divinity's Centre for Research in Religion and Social Policy (RASP) invites you to attend the second annual RASP Public Conversation on this significant topic on 1 June
Research conducted by the International Labour Organization and the Walk Free Foundation reveals that currently, there are likely over 40 million people in slavery-like conditions worldwide. An estimated 25 million of these are in the Asia Pacific, and over 28 million are women and girls. One in four are under the age of 18. A
The antidote to the slow yet real monopolisation of community by the state is a strong civil society and the voluntary associations that thrive within it. Voluntary associations are key to protecting diversity in a pluralistic society, write ICS' Peter Mulherin and Simon P. Kennedy in the Centre for Independent Studies' quarterly POLICY Magazine. Read
In mid-February 2017, Attorney-General George Brandis asked the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to inquire into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia. The inquiry called for submissions exploring: The nature and extent of modern slavery (including slavery, forced labour and wage exploitation, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriage
Mark Sneddon & Pete Mulherin Modern slavery rarely uses the shackles, whips, ships’ holds, and slave markets historically associated with the transatlantic slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries. Britain legislated to abolish slavery in 1833 after years of lobbying by William Wilberforce and others. But slavery has not gone away. As far as
