Independent senator for South Australia, Rex Patrick, has called on both the major Coalition and Labor parties to commit to a ban on products made through slave labour.
Patrick said in a release on Saturday that “nobody wants to wear or use misery.”
“Not only is the human cost of slave labour abhorrent, it also leaves Australian businesses competing against imports on unfair terms,” he said.
“I’m calling on both major parties to put on record how they will combat modern slavery if they form government after the election. Implementing my bill as a priority is a good start.”
The senator put forward a bill in 2021 to ban the import of goods produced in whole or part with slave labour, and while the Bill passed in the Senate with the support of the Labor opposition, Greens, and cross benchers, the Coalition (Liberals and Nationals) voted against it.
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