[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

AUSTRALIA (Tier 1) Extracted in part  from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report - Australia

The Government of Australia fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.  The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Australia remained on Tier 1.  These efforts included increasing funding for victim support services, prosecuting and convicting child sex tourists, establishing a pilot survivor advisory council, and initiating a review of its visa framework to identify vulnerabilities to trafficking and anti-trafficking laws.  Although the government meets the minimum standards, it did not adequately screen vulnerable groups, including domestic workers, international students, and migrant workers, for trafficking indicators and it identified even fewer victims.  It also did not convict any perpetrators under its anti-trafficking law, and overall the number of cases law enforcement pursued remained disproportionately low compared to the scope of the crime.

Prioritized Recommendations

Significantly increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes pursuant to anti-trafficking laws, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Investigate and prosecute labor trafficking under anti-trafficking laws instead of as labor or employment violations.

Significantly increase efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, such as undocumented migrants, asylum-seekers, agricultural and hospitality industry workers, visa holders, and domestic workers, and refer victims to care.

Further decouple the provision of services to victims from participation in the criminal justice process and increase services available to victims unable or unwilling to participate in the criminal justice process.

Amend the statutory definition of trafficking under the criminal code to not require movement of the victim as an element of the crime.

Train police, immigration officials, and other front-line officers, both offshore and onshore, to recognize indicators of trafficking and proactively respond to suspected cases of both sex and labor trafficking.

Establish the National Labour Hire Registration Scheme with sufficient compliance tools.

Train judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials on the application of trafficking laws, elements of trafficking, investigative techniques, evidence collection specific to trafficking cases, and alternatives to victim testimony.

Conduct initial screening interviews with potential victims in a safe and neutral location and in the presence of a social service professional.

Establish a national compensation scheme for trafficking victims.

Implement or fund awareness campaigns for individuals vulnerable to forced labor, particularly among rural communities and migrant populations, including international students.

Strengthen efforts to prosecute and convict Australian child sex tourists.

Increase efforts to investigate and hold accountable foreign diplomats posted in Australia suspected of complicity in trafficking.