Australia's antislavery commissioner, who has hailed the Catholic sector as a national leader in fighting modern slavery, says proposed new penalties against forced labor do not go far enough.
Chris Evans demanded that large companies should be legally required to root out exploitation in their supply chains.
In a paper released Thursday, Evans estimated that Australia imports about $17.4 billion (AU$25 billion) worth of goods each year that may have been produced with forced labor, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Oct. 16.
The Catholic Church in Australia has made the issue a priority. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher set up an antislavery task force to lead the Church's response to modern slavery in Australia, according to the archdiocese. The task force works on compliance with the Modern Slavery Act across the supply chains of Catholic schools, universities, welfare, and health and aged-care agencies as well as trains parish and agency staff to identify and support possible victims.
Speaking at a Sydney Catholic Business Network luncheon on Nov. 13, 2025, Evans praised the Catholic prelate.
He said the archbishop's "leadership on this issue has been exemplary," given his support for the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network and his establishment of Domus 8.7.
"Through the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network and Domus 8.7, the Catholic sector has become a national leader in implementing the Modern Slavery Act," Evans said at the time.
Under the 2018 act, large Australian companies must report risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains but have no legal obligation to address them. Evans wants to close that gap as part of a planned overhaul of the law.
The federal government announced in July that it would introduce a criminal offense for companies that fail to prevent modern slavery along with civil penalties for businesses that breach existing reporting rules.
"The government's announcement sends a clear signal that modern slavery is a serious crime and must be treated that way," Evans said.
His four-part proposal would place mandatory due-diligence obligations on large businesses and the federal government, set criminal penalties for serious wrongdoing, give victims the right to sue for compensation, and strengthen annual reporting.
"Australians don't want the clothes they wear or the food they eat to be made with forced labour," Evans said. "They expect government and business to take responsibility and action."
Business groups have pushed back. Minerals Council of Australia chief Tania Constable said there were better ways to address the issue than threatening executives with criminal penalties over other companies' actions, and the Business Council of Australia has also raised concerns, according to the Herald.
Pope Leo XIV has strongly spoken out against trafficking. In his message for the World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking on Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, the pope renewed "the Church's urgent call to confront and bring an end to this grave crime against humanity."
"Awareness enables us to identify the hidden mechanisms of exploitation in our neighborhoods and in digital spaces," he wrote.
