Senate debates

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Motions

Human Trafficking

3:45 pm

Photo of Skye Kakoschke-MooreSkye Kakoschke-Moore (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) human trafficking and slavery are serious and often transnational crimes encompassing a wide range of exploitative practices with almost every country affected as a point of origin, transit or destination for victims,

  (ii) on 4 August 2016, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Attorney-General's Department (AGD) co-hosted a whole-of­-government event to mark the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons which is commemorated on 30 July each year,

  (iii) the event was an important opportunity for DFAT and AGD to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders in the human trafficking space including Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH),

  (iv) the event followed the Senior Officials Meeting of the Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery, also attended by ACRATH, which provided key stakeholders to reflect on the issues impacting on people trafficked into Australia,

  (v) ACRATH continues to make a significant contribution to the work of anti-trafficking initiatives in Australia,

  (vi) in the last twelve months ACRATH has undertaken 132 presentations across Australia, assisted 22 trafficked women and 13 children and devoted 7,267 hours of volunteer time spent in raising awareness of, and advocating against, human trafficking in Australia, and

  (vii) funding for ACRATH will expire in 2017; and

(b) calls on the Government to adequately resource appropriate programs on the eradication of slavery and human trafficking.

Question agreed to.