Commissioner Criticises US Tariffs but Says Australia Must Do More on Forced Labour Practices

Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans says new proposed U.S. tariffs on Australia exposes how much more the country could be doing against forced labour in its supply chains.

Last week, the Trump administration proposed 12.5 percent tariffs on 54 nations, including Australia, blaming the “failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour.”

Another six nations will be subject to a 10 percent tariff over the same concerns. Australia’s beef and gold exports will remain exempt.

Evans opposed the use of tariffs saying they will punish Australian businesses and workers.

“It is a shame that this important human rights issue is being weaponised in a trade war,” he told The Epoch Times.

“However, this issue does highlight that there is more Australia could do to address forced labour in business supply chains and prevent goods made with modern slavery entering the country,” Evans said.

“When the Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2018 it was an example of good practice.

“Now the EU and other countries have introduced laws with more robust expectations for businesses to take action to manage the forced labour risks in their supply chains. Reform to our law is overdue.”

Evans has previously outlined concerns with cheap Chinese fast fashion import platforms like Temu.

While the company rakes in about $2.6 billion annually from Australian customers, it does not abide by the Modern Slavery Act.

Its fast turnaround times for a range of affordable products has spurred concerns that the company may be using cheap labour in its supply chains, according to Anti-Slavery International.

Meanwhile in March, a joint research project based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data found 21.5 percent of all goods imported into the country came from regions with known forced labour issues.

Calls for Improvements in Anti-Slavery System

Consumer website Choice claims that under the current guidelines, companies with more than $100 million in annual revenue (US$70million) evaluate themselves annually—akin to a “box-ticking exercise.”

For example, in Australia’s current system, a company may be required to report on its slavery risks and what it is doing to address them, while in Europe, big companies must identify risks, reduce them, monitor changes, address issues discovered, and face fines if insufficient action is taken.

“Since January, my Office has advocated for a risk-based, modern slavery due diligence obligation to be added to the Act,” Evans said.

“This would be reasonable and proportionate action to prevent forced labour in our global supply chains.

“Reform would create a level playing field for responsible business and help drive better outcomes for vulnerable workers in our supply chains who produce the goods and services Australians consume every day.”

The Epoch Times understands the federal Attorney-General’s Department has been consulting on reform to Australia’s Modern Slavery Act.

As for Australia’s chances of being exempt from the new wave of tariffs, U.S. Studies Centre Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer said there was not a high chance.

“The tariffs will most likely apply to us, given so many countries in the group include close U.S. allies such as Japan who have not been made exempt,” she told AAP.

“There’s no real way to negotiate our way out of this.”

Albanese Calls Tariffs ‘Unjustified’

On June 4, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the tariffs “unjustified.”

“Australia has robust, comprehensive and world leading legislation addressing forced labour and modern slavery,” he said.

“There is an ideological disagreement where the United States administration has broken with what was a decades-long understanding that tariffs are not positive for the country that is imposing them, that they increase the costs of goods and services in the country that is applying them to its consumers, and that free trade is in the interests of the global economy.

“It’s in the interests of Australia. It’s also in the interests of the United States.”

But U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said forced labour supply chains were creating an unlevel playing field for U.S. workers by artificially lowering prices.

“We will no longer tolerate this disparity,” he said.

“Some trading partners have taken initial steps to prevent the importation of forced labour goods … however, each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labor globally.”