Senate debates

Monday, 10 September 2018

Motions

Slavery

3:38 pm

Photo of Anne UrquhartAnne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Moore, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

  (i) that 23 August 2018 was the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition – the day intends to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all,

  (ii) that, on 23 August 1791, a group of enslaved men and women in the western part of Santo Domingo, which is now Haiti, began an uprising – this uprising conveyed a universal demand for human freedom and played a critical role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade,

  (iii) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/237 proclaiming the International Decade for People of African Descent, spanning from 2015 to 2024 – this resolution is aiming to eradicate racial discrimination,

  (iv) Australia's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG10, which calls for reduced inequalities within and among countries, and

  (v) that the Australian Parliament is currently considering an act to address modern slavery; and

(b) acknowledges:

  (i) the opportunity to remember the causes, methods and consequences of the transatlantic slave trade, and

  (ii) the importance of preventing racism, injustice and discrimination in all its forms to ensure that all persons are availed equal rights.

Question agreed to.