Government
As cabinet ministers ponder the policies they will ‘roll back’ over the summer break, New Zealanders involved in tackling modern slavery say legislation should not be delayed
Charities and academics have warned the government against delaying plans to tackle modern slavery after months of silence on the next steps in the process.
In April, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced a proposal for a new law to tackle worker exploitation and forced labor at home and abroad after more than 37,000 Kiwis signed a petition calling for action.
All private and public sector organizations should take “reasonable and proportionate steps” to address modern slavery, requiring companies with annual revenues over $20 million to disclose what steps they are taking, and those with over $50 million million must undertake due diligence to “prevent, reduce and remedy” the practice.
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However, there has been no sign of final legislation since public submissions closed in June, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has instructed her cabinet ministers to review all their outstanding plans in an effort to “pull back” the government’s reform work.
The limited amount of parliamentary time until the next election means it can also be difficult to get a modern slavery bill into law before the House rises, leaving fate to the whims of the next government.
An overview of the entries drafted by the Department of Trade, Innovation and Employment, noted that there was strong support for the aims of the proposed legislation, but many petitioners were concerned about the lack of clarity regarding terms such as “modern slavery” and “reasonable and proportionate”.
Most petitioners believed that an independent oversight mechanism should be established as part of any law, while others said that “careful consideration should be given to the scope and scope of obligations and how they apply to different entities and environments”.
Grant Bayldon, CEO of World Vision NZ, told the Newsroom that the government should move legislation forward as soon as possible given the urgency of the issue.
“This is something that’s been done with overwhelming support through public consultation, it’s received great support through petition, there’s been a lot of very positive business engagement, and so now is the time while that momentum is there – the need could hardly be greater to be.”
“Good companies are realizing that the days will soon be gone when it’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ about the conditions of the people who make the products we bring to the country and use in our homes and workplaces. use. .”
—Grant Bayldon, World Vision NZ
In the two years since the government began developing legislation, Bayldon said the number of people affected by modern slavery around the world has risen 25 percent to 50 million.
The Australian government was already working on the second iteration of its own modern slavery legislation through a review of the current law, while the European Union had announced legislation in line with New Zealand’s own plans.
Bayldon said he wasn’t sure why there hadn’t been more rapid progress in the government’s work here, but he believed there was “an inevitability” regarding legislation in the area.
“Good companies are realizing that the days will soon be gone when it’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ about the conditions of the people who make the products we bring to the country and use in our homes and workplaces. use. .”
Any delay in passing a modern slavery law could damage not only New Zealand’s international reputation, but also the lives of those trapped in such schemes.
Dr. Brent Burmester, a researcher at the University of Auckland’s Center for Research on Modern Slavery, told the Newsroom he was confident the government remains committed to passing legislation before the end of term.
‘difficult terrain’
“There are also a number of competing interests that are moving in different directions, and it’s a tricky terrain to navigate,” Burmester said, adding that the government’s ambitious approach had also slowed progress.
However, he was concerned about the consequences of any delay in passing a law, as New Zealand had to “set the bar high” and it was possible that a national/ACT government could take a less rigorous approach.
Conservative governments in Australia and the United Kingdom had made progress with laws that only targeted a minority of companies and seemed to focus on managing reputational risk rather than taking meaningful action.
“I don’t think a law passed under the current government would be reversed by another government, but the final form of legislation can be demarcated if the law is not finalized and brought to the finish line in the current term. by a new coalition government,” said Burmester.
In a statement, Wood told the Newsroom that the legislation is still being amended in response to feedback from the consultation process, with the government expecting to introduce a bill before the end of the current term.
“Modern slavery and labor exploitation are serious forms of exploitation seen internationally and within New Zealand. Addressing these practices requires a response from the whole of society, undertaken through strong partnerships between government agencies and with civil society, businesses, unions, academia and international partners,” Wood said.