Government Response to Customs Amendment Bill 2020

The Australian Government has responded to the Senate Committee Report in relation to a proposed Customs Ban on Goods Produced with Forced Labour similar to legislation in the United States.

"Enforcing a prohibition on the importation of goods made ‘wholly or in part with forced labour’ would require the Commonwealth to be able to clearly identify such items at the border (to enable them to be seized).The current settings do not provide for this, and obtaining such an ability would require a fulsome and long term overhaul of the current regulatory framework and supporting IT systems – this is both timely and expensive and would require extensive scoping and consultation domestically and internationally.

Such a prohibition would also require the Commonwealth to meet the appropriate evidentiary standard to demonstrate that a specific good was in breach of the prohibition. It is highly unlikely the Commonwealth would be able to reliably meet such a standard for most imported goods.

The Government is firmly of the view that business should put in place voluntary, rigorous due diligence policies and mechanisms to mitigate the potential of contracting with international firms responsible for, or involved in, forced labour."

READ MORE
Government response to Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Uyghur Forced Labour) Bill 2020