Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in ...

Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in AustraliaSubmission 185

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CommitteeSecretary 10June2017JointStandingCommitteeonForeignAffairs,DefenceandTradePOBox6021ParliamentHouseCanberraACT2600

StatementinsupportofaModernSlaveryActforAustralia

DearMembersoftheForeignAffairsandAidSub-Committee,We thank you for the opportunity tomake a submission to your inquiry into aModern Slavery Act forAustralia.We take this opportunity to ask the Australian Parliament to remember Australia’s relationship withslavery,throughthepracticeofBlackbirding.Between1840and1950thePacific labourtrademoved1.5millionIndigenousandAsianindividualsaroundthePacific,with62,000ofthesecontractsbindingPacificIslanders to work in Australia between 1847 and 1906. Many thousands died from common diseasesduring the first months of arrival. An astounding 15,000 of these mainly young men died before theirprime.When the White Australia Policy was introduced after Federation, there were 10,000 MelanesianimmigrantsinAustralia;morethanhalfweredeportedupto1908.Inmanycasestheyweredisplacedfromtheirhomeislandsarereturnedtomissionandgovernmentstations.Todayabout50,000peopleidentifyasAustralianSouthSeaIslanders,orofdualAustralian-SouthSeaIslanderheritage.TheAustralianSouthSeaIslanderAssociationtriestoreconnectdisplacedASSIfamilieshereinAustraliaand the Pacific. We have a strong kinship with Indigenous Australians because South Sea IslandersintermarriedwithindigenousAustralianinTorresStraitandontheeastcoastmainland.SomewerealsoabsorbedundertheAboriginalProtectionActsandplacedonthesamereservesandmissions.OurAssociationworkswithoutgovernmentsupport.Ournetwork is currentlyhandlingcasesofmodernslaveryinAustraliawhereourpeoplefromthePacificareagainbeingcoerced,trickedandexploitedunderpoliciesandcontractsrelatingtoagriculturallabourthatseetheirhumanrightsabusedalloveragain.Theeffectsofpastslaveryinouryounghistoryhaunttheminds,heartsandsoulofourpeople.WeurgetheCommittee and the Australian Parliament, as youmove forward, research and reflect to learn from ourpast.Welookforwardtoworkingwithyou,tocombatmodern-dayslavery.(Waskam)EmeldaDavisPresidentAustralianSouthSeaIslandersPortJackson(ASSIPJ)MastersofArts(Research)candidateUTS-FASS:ARCScholarshiprecipientwww.assipj.com.au


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PREAMBLEThepurposeofoursubmissionisfirstlytohighlightthehistoricalpracticeofBlackbirdingofsome62,000MelanesianlabourerswhowerebroughttoAustraliaviaforcedmigration,kidnappingandcoercion,firstlytoNSWin1847withthemajorityimportedintoQueenslandbetween1863and1901.ThisPacificlabourimportationbeganonlya fewdecadesafter slaverywasmade illegal in theBritishEmpire in the1930s.Legally itwascloakedas indenture,whichwasanew formof slaveryused tobindPacific Islanders intosettlercolonies.Secondlywewould like to point to themodernday equivalents ofBlackbirding thatwe are aware of inAustralia.It is important for us as descendants to take the opportunity your Inquiry presents to highlight thispinnacleperiodofasharedhistory,whichisstillunknowntothemajorityofAustralianstoday.AstheFederalMemberforHinklerKeithPittnotedintheAustralianParliamenton1September2014,inaPrivate Members debate which expressed regret on the treatment of South Sea Islanders and theirdescendants:

“MostAustralianshavenoideathat,evensome30yearsaftertheEmancipationProclamationintheUnitedStates,slaverywasstillrifeinthiscountry.Between1863andtheearly1900s,SouthSeaislandersasyoungas12wererippedfromtheircommunitiestoworkonAustralianfarms.”

MrPittalsowentontonote:

“ThepracticeofBlackbirdingwasatonepointrebrandedindenturedlabour,tocircumventtheslaverylawsofBritain.”

Wewould like toalsoplaceon thepublic record thecontinuingeffects thatBlackbirdinghashadonourcommunity.The impact of Blackbirding lives on in the hearts and minds of descendants of the trade, and this issomethingwewantmoreAustralianstounderstand.The Australian South Sea Islander Association exists to create a greater understanding, bothwithin ourown community andmore broadly, about howour people still exist today, and our journey aswewereintegratedviasugarplantationsandfarms,pastoralproperties,andinTorresStrait.Ourcommunitiesthroughournationalrepresentativeorganisationhaveanimportantstorytotellthatwehopecanhelphealthegenerationalsufferingcausedbythedeceitfulpoliciesofthepast.Revisitingand learning frommistakesof thepastwillassistusgreatly inprogressiontowardsabrighterfutureandwehopeitwillassistothervulnerablecommunitiesinparticular.


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Regrettably, our members have observed new manifestations of exploitation that exist in the currenttreatmentofseasonalworkersinAustralia,includingworkersfromtheverysamecountriesourforebearsweretakenfrom.WHOWEAREASSIPJworks collaboratively acrossmanygovernment, community andeducationalplatforms supportedbyprominent community figures suchasourpatronMrs.BonitaMaboAO, foundingboardmemberandformerATSICCommissionerMs.ShireenMalamoo,andaward-winninghistorianEmeritusProfessorCliveMoore of the University of Queensland who has researched in ASSI and Pacific Island history for fortyyears.OurnationalrepresentativescontinuetheimportantworkofoneofAustralia’smostcelebratedAustraliansAboriginal rights activist and descendant of slavery, Mrs. Faith Bandler AC (1917-2015).Full details of our Board and Historical Advisory team are published on our website:http://www.assipj.com.au/assipj-board/http://www.assipj.com.au/assi-historical-advisory-panel/Much work has been done to date to develop a national representative body. We have hosted sevennational capacity building conferences resulting in the establishment of a national roundtable workinggroup,and theadoptionofawidelyconsultednational constitutiondraftedpro-bonobyGilbert&Tobinlawyers,Sydney.Themostrecentdraftoftheconstitutionispublishedonourwebsite:http://www.assipj.com.au/national-australian-south-sea-islanders-association-constitution/


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BLACKBIRDING–ANOVERVIEWThe‘indenturedlabourtrade’orBlackbirdingofPacificIslanderstoAustraliatookplacebetweentheyears1847 and 1908. The original Pacific Islander immigrantswere called Kanakas or Kanaks. Another termusedwas South Sea Islanders. The termAustralian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) has been adopted by thepresent-daydescendants.EightyislandsofVanuatu,SolomonIslands,eastPapuaNewGuinea,Tuvalu,KiribatiandFijiwereaffected,seeing some islands almost entirely stripped of their male populations to work primarily in the sugar,maritimeandpastoralindustries.Onlyfivepercentofthosetakenwerewomen.Theresultofthisatrocitywasthatsome15,000people–around30percentofthosetraded-diedfromexposure to common disease in the first six to twelve months of their indenture. Despite authoritiesknowingaboutthehighmortalityrate,thetradewasallowedtocontinueformorethansixtyyears.In theearly1860s, somePacific Islanderswere involved in fishingandpearling industriesof theTorresStraitIslands.OtherPacificIslandermissionariesarrivedwiththeLondonMissionarySocietytointroduceChristianity at Erub (Darnley Island) in the Torres Strait in 1871, an event that ismarked today in theTorresStraitinannual‘Comingofthelight’observanceson1July.The firstdocumentedcaseof large-scale indentured labour from thePacific actuallydatesback to1847,when NSW entrepreneur and politician Benjamin Boyd illegally trafficked 65 labourers from NewCaledonia and Vanuatu to Eden in NSW, to support his whaling and pastoral activities. The case was ahumanitarian disaster, with the Islanders who survived having to walk back to Sydney to seek returnpassage.Rightfromthe1860sinQueensland,therewereconstantallegationsthatslaverywasoccurring,andthatevenwhentherewassomeIslanderknowledgeoftheindentureexperienceitwasalwaysexploitativeandverypoorlypaid.Therearemanyreportsofatrocities.AustralianauthoritiesfinallymovedtoclosedowntheBlackbirdingtradein1901.LegislationenactedaspartoftheintroductionoftheWhiteAustraliaPolicy,thePacificIslandLabourersActof1901,ledtothemassdeportationofpeople,familiesandchildren,whoweresentbacktotheirdisconnectedandinsomecasesunknownislandsoforiginbetween1904and1908.The small community that remained in Queensland and northern New South Wales in the twentiethcenturywasmarginalized,livingontheoutskirtsofWhitesociety.Through the continued advocacy and research work of ASSI descendants, a number of unmarked sitesacrossQueenslandandNSWhavebeenidentifiedastherestingplaceforancestorswhodiedinthesugarcanefields.


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GOVERNMENTRECOGNITIONIn1992,aHumanRightsandEqualOpportunityCommissionReport ‘TheCallforRecognition:areportonthesituationofAustralianSouthSeaIslanders’foundthatAustralianSouthSeaIslanders(ASSIs)sufferthesamedisadvantagesasIndigenousAustralians.In1994, theCommonwealth recognisedAustralianSouthSea Islandersas a ‘distinct cultural group’ thatvaluetheirheritage,customandculture.https://www.humanrights.gov.au/erace-archives-australian-south-sea-islandersThrough ASSI community lobbying, today Australian South Sea Islanders are classified as a distinctAustralianculturalgroupintheABSAustralianStandardClassificationofCulturalandEthnicGroups,withthe grouping of Australian Peoples. In the 2016 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics agreed toprominentpositioningoftheASSIoptionunderQuestion18onancestry.http://www.assipj.com.au/inclusion-of-australian-south-sea-islanders-on-pg18-for-the-2016-census-form/This statistical inclusion, which now extends to Centrelink and some other government forms, and tohospitaladmissionforms,isthebeginningofrecognitionofourstatusandcontinuedpresenceinAustralia.Twenty years on from the 1994 recognition, on 1 September 2014 the Federal Parliament debated a‘MotionofRegret’acknowledgingthatAustralianhadaSlaveTrade.ThemotionwasmovedbytheMemberforDawsonGeorgeChristensen,whoatthattimewastheNationalPartyDeputyWhip.http://www.assipj.com.au/southsea/wp-content/uploads/APENDIX-A-ASSI.PJ-Muritius-.pdfOn15August 2013, theNSWParliament, through amotion by theMember for SydneyAlexGreenwich,recognised the historic and current-day conditions of Australian South Sea Islanders, and requested theGovernment to liaise with the National Body for Australian South Sea Islanders in preparing ademographic,socialandeconomiccommunityprofile.http://23.101.218.132/Prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20130815005?open&refNavID=HA8 1Today various government programs and services cater for a contemporary Pacific communities andIndigenous Australian communities, but there is no specific policy that caters for the ASSI communitydemographicswellbeingandsocialstability.


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TERMSOFREFERENCE3Thenatureandextentofmodernslavery(includingslavery,forcedlabourandwageexploitation,involuntaryservitude, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriage and other slavery-like exploitation) both inAustralia and globally; The prevalence of modern slavery in the domestic and global supply chains ofcompanies,businessesandorganisationsoperatinginAustraliaTheSeasonalWorkProgrammeASSImembershaveexpressedconcernattheprevalenceofexploitationthatexistsintheSeasonalWorkerProgramme.Horticultureandfarmworkaresectorswithhighriskfactorsformodernslavery.Anthony Forsyth’s Victorian Inquiry into the Labour Hire Industry and Insecure Work reported deepconcernattheoverwhelmingevidenceoffarmworkerexploitation.1“DeanWickham,oftheSunraysiaMalleeEthnicCommunityCouncil(SunraysiaECC)toldtheInquirythat:[w]ehavegotpeoplewhowanttotakechargeoftheirliveswhoarebeingaskedtoworkwithinanindustrythat is being controlled by layers and layers of people, so the farmer down to themain contractor, thesubcontractor, and Iamnot surehowanyonemakesanymoneyby the time thedollarvaluegets to theactualpersondoingthework.“MrWickhamandanotherconfidentialgroupofwitnesses told the Inquiry thatworkers fromthePacificIslands,whoarepartoftheSeasonalWorkerProgramme(SWP),workinginthehorticulturalindustrynearRobinvale, were treated poorly with untreated boils on their legs because of poor diet and poor foodpracticesbythehost(yettheworkerswerestillexpectedtogotowork).OnegroupofworkersfromFijiwasthreatenedwithjailforwalkingoffthejob.2”“TheSunraysiaECCdescribedhavingsomeissueswithexploitationofworkersengagedthroughtheSWP.IthasintervenedonbehalfofworkersfromthePNG,SolomonIslandsandFijiancommunitiesinrespectofworkingconditions.ItdescribedasituationitwasdealingwithatthetimeoftheInquiry’sMildurahearing,with peoplewhowereworkingwith food being improperly stored on site; no adequate access to freshwateronsite;andhavingtogetupatfourinthemorningtotraveltowheretheywereworking.Thehostemployerexercisedsignificantcontrolovertheworkers,andtheywereunabletospeaktoothersinthecommunity.MrWickhamdescribed10peoplewalkingofftheprograminthepreviousthreeweeks,sotheywerenowfacingvisaconditionbreaches.

1http://theconversation.com/labour-hire-plight-of-insecure-workers-to-be-put-under-the-spotlight-504632 pg 157 https://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/ data/assets/pdf file/0016/1390111/IRV-Inquiry-Final-Report-.pdf


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Therewasamediareport inMarch2016ofexploitationofFijianSWPworkerswhowerepaid less than$10 perweek by a labour hire agency that sponsored their visas. Theworkerswere required to eitherreturntoworkfortheagency,orreturntoFiji3.”TheSeasonalWorkerProgrammeappearstohavelittleoversight,independentauditingorenforcementofemployerobligations.WebelievehistoryisrepeatingwithvulnerableworkersfromPacificNationswithmanycasesofworkersbeingunderpaidandtreatedpoorly.HereisasampleofmediareportsrelatingtotheharshtreatmentofPacificNationsworkerswhichinotherdevelopedcountrieswithModernSlaverylawswouldhavebeeninvestigatedforcrimesofforcedlabour,deceptiverecruitmentandservitude.‘Fijian seasonalworkers told to return towork for contractor accused of exploitation or go home’, ABCNews, 27 March 2016, at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/ 2016-03-27/seasonal-workers-to-return-contractor-accused-of-exploitation/7270902CaseStudy1.MaroochySunshineInMarch2016, theFairWorkOmbudsman tookaction in theBrisbaneFederalCircuitCourtagainst therecruitmentagency,MaroochiSunshine,forgrosslyunderpaying22SeasonalWorkerProgramfruitpickersfromVanuatu.Itwas alleged that theownerof two labourhire firms,whoaccording to subsequentmedia reportshadcultivated a network of farmers in needof labourers,went toVanuatu to promote the SeasonalWorkerProgramandrecruitworkers.Thecourtfoundthattheowner,Mr.EmmanuelBani,hadrecruitedtheworkersunderfalsepromisesandowedtheworkersnearly$78,000forsevenweeksofworkin2014.Inbreachofthecontract,Maroochionlyprovidedsporadicperiodsofwork;halfoftheworkerswerepaidatotalof$1100(between$50and$150each)bysomeofthefarmerstheyworkedfor.Theotherhalfoftheworkersneverreceivedawagefortheirwork.AnnualentitlementswereunderpaidandaNoticetoProduceemploymentdocumentswasignoredbyBani.

3 Pg 303 https://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/ data/assets/pdf file/0016/1390111/IRV-Inquiry-Final-Report-.pdf


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Mr.BanifailedtoappearinCourtandwasfoundguiltyofviolatingemploymentlawsbydefault.Thecourtthenadjourned thematteruntil June2016when itwasgoing todecideon thepenalty to imposeonMr.Baniandhiscompany.InMarch2017,theFederalCircuitCourtJusticeMichaelJarrattorderedBaniandhisfirmpaytheworkersalmost$80,000inoutstandingwages,andissueda$227,300finetoBani.JusticeJarrattstruggledtoimaginea"moreegregious"caseofworkerexploitation."This case concerns the serious exploitation of vulnerable foreign workers lured to Australia by falsepromises. Employees were at times deprived of the appropriate basic living standards expected inAustralia."Oneworkerdescribedhowheandanothermanworkedformonthstosaveupthe$1500recruitmentfeetoensureBanisponsoredthem,inadditiontoairfaresandotherexpenses.Healsodescribedtimeswheretheonlyfoodhehadwasthetomatoeshewaspicking.Thecourtheardthatwhentheworkersquestionedtheirconditions,Banithreatenedtoreportthemtothepoliceandhavethemdeported.According toActingFairWorkOmbudsman,MichaelCampbell, "theworkersspentmuchof their time inremoteandisolatedtransientaccommodation,sometimessleeping inabusonthesideof theroadoronchairsinabedroom.”MediareportssuggestedworkersmayremainunderthreatevenafterreturningtoVanuatu.ReportsalsoindicatedthatoneofBani’scompaniesisstillrunningawebsitewhich“spruiksitsabilitytosupplycontractfarmlabourat‘minimumcosts,maximumrewards.’”S. Locke, ABC Rural, ‘Government Crackdown on Seasonal Worker Exploitation’, 9 February 2016,http://www.abc.net.au/?WT.z navMenu=abcNavLogo&WT.z srcSite=local&WT.z link=ABC%20Home.D. Sparkes, ABC Rural, ‘Labour-Hire Company Faces Court over Allegations of Exploiting Pacific IslandWorkers in 416 Visa Program’, 14 January 2016, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-13/labor-hire-company-faces-allegations-of-416-visa-breaches/7086100.R. Narayan, ‘Queensland Labour-Hire Company Maroochi Sunshine Ripped Off VanuatuWorkers, CourtFinds’, 15 March 2016, http://www.loopvanuatu.com/content/queensland-labour-hire-company-maroochy-sunshine-ripped-vanuatu-workers-court-finds.Inarecentcase,agroupofworkerssignedaffidavitsallegingthattheiremployer,labourhirefirmMADEC,which is Australia's largest user of the Seasonal Workers Program, had pressured workers to quit theNationalUnionofWorkers. If theydidnot, theywouldbedenied futureemployment, andworkers fromVanuatu would not be recruited via the Seasonal Workers Program.http://www.smh.com.au/business/seasonal-workers-warned-if-they-join-a-union-theyll-get-no-work-20170309-guujgv.html.


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Inanotherrecentcase,workershadnothingtoeatbutthefruittheywerepickingandsleptinabusontheside of the road. http://www.smh.com.au/national/investigations/slavery-claims-as-seasonal-workers-from-vanuatu-paid-nothing-for-months-work-20170327-gv7k99.html.ASSIrecommendssevenkeyelementsforaModernSlaveryActforAustralia.1. AppointmentofanIndependentAnti-SlaveryCommissionerThe appointment of an IndependentAnti-Slavery Commissioner to leadAustralia’s fight againstmodernslavery, with powers and responsibilities similar to the appointed UK Anti-Slavery Commissioner(currentlyKevinHyland).Independent oversight is vital to the success of any efforts to tackle the multifaceted crime of modernslavery which requires a response from a vast range of stakeholders across the public, private andcommunitysectors.2. ModernSlaveryStatementsAt aminimum, legislation that requires all large organisations doing business inAustralia to publish anannual ‘Modern Slavery Statement’ reporting on steps taken to eradicate modern slavery within theirorganisationsandsupplychains.Largebusinesseshavethepowertoinfluencechangewithinsupplychainnetworks,todriveupstandardsandremovetheprofitabilityofmodernslavery.3. Thecreationandmaintenanceofafreepublicly-accessiblecentralrepositoryforallModernSlaveryStatementsArepositoryisneededtoensurelawsareeffectiveinbringingchange.TherepositorywasanidentifiedgapintheUKframeworkthathassincebeenremedied.Apublicrepository,andreportsgeneratedfromit,canbeusedtomeasuretheprogressoforganisations,improvepublicaccountabilityandreviewsocialimpact.4. VictimCareASSI believe in caseswheremodern slavery,wage theft, abuse and suffering at the hands of Australianemployershasoccurred,thentheworkersshouldreceiveGovernmentcompensationaspartoftheSWP.5. SupportfromPrimeMinisterandCabinetToestablishanASSInationalofficewithannualfundingforstaffinginordertoworkincollaborationwithgovernment and supportive agencies in drafting specific policies that cater to the waylaid communitydevelopmentandsocialjustice.6. ASSIRecognitionDay25thAugustA special day that is supported on the national calendar, as is NAIDOC Day, that remembers theCommonwealth 1994 Recognition and the contribution of our South Sea Islander ancestors and theirdescendantstoday.


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7. CommunityLiaisonOfficersFamilies of workers and community leaders participating as source countries in the Seasonal WorkProgram have for many years been calling for Community Liaison Officers. The officers would speakcommunity languages, be located in Australia to check and independently assess the wellbeing of theworkers.Theofficerswouldalsochecktheworker’spay,superannuation,healthinsuranceandbeabletoassistwithillnessandworkplaceinjuries.


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The map attempts to illustrate the movement of over 800 shipping routes from the Pacific Islands toAustralia and Fiji. Australia's first Pacific Islander immigrants arrived in Sydney NSW in the 1790's ascrewsoftradingandwhalingships.Thefirst65Melanesian’swereBlackbirdedtoEdensouthernNSWin1847 to work in whaling and pastoral industries followed by an additional 52 (Eden) then an infux toQueenslandof some62,000menandsomewomenbetween1863-1908via indentured labourcontracts,seeingforcedmigration,kidnappingandcoercionfromthe80islandsofVanuatuandSolomonIslands.


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