Modern slavery rises as labour hire escapes scrutiny, says NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner

Reports of modern slavery to the 1800 FREEDOM hotline run by the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner have surged 116% in the past financial year, says a new Annual Report released by the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner, Dr James Cockayne.

Around half of these calls come from temporary migrant workers.

“We’ve received pleas for help from workers cleaning city offices, working on regional farms and studying at our universities”, said Dr Cockayne.

“People are being deceptively recruited, trapped in debt bondage, pushed into forced labour and trafficked, many of them by dodgy labour hire companies that operate much more easily in NSW than neighbouring states, because there is no licensing requirement here.”

Today, as the nation’s workplace relations ministers meet to discuss labour hire reform, the Commissioner will use his Annual Report to call for urgent, whole-of-government action in NSW to tackle modern slavery. One focus: closing a loophole that allows unlicensed labour hire firms to operate freely in NSW, unlike in Victoria and Queensland, where licensing schemes are already in place.

“Dodgy operators appear to be shifting to NSW because it’s easier to exploit people here, and make more money,” Cockayne said. “That’s exposing workers to harm and undermining responsible employers.”

The Commissioner is urging NSW to immediately put labour hire regulation in place. One option is an interim mutual recognition scheme, recognising licences issued in Victoria or Queensland.

The 2025 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, recently published by the US State Department, backs the call, highlighting persistent risks for migrant workers in Australia and urging stronger labour hire regulation.

The Commissioner’s Annual Report highlights important progress in the state’s anti-slavery efforts:

• 34,000 NSW frontline workers are now receiving modern slavery training
• NSW Government decisions protecting at-risk workers in the textiles and cleaning sectors
• The adoption by government agencies of new tender and contract clauses to address modern slavery risks.

But it also highlights dangerous and continuing system gaps, including:

• The absence of labour hire regulation
• The fact that not a single dollar is formally earmarked in the state budget for anti-slavery efforts, though more than 450 public agencies and councils have anti-slavery obligations
• The failure by the Department of Communities and Justice to meet a statutory expectation for the development of a system of support for victims of forced under-age marriage, one year after being notified to do so by the Commissioner
• The absence of any formal Direction relating to procurement activities.

“At the core of this Annual Report is a call for more urgency from government to address these gaps”, said Dr Cockayne. “The next year will test whether the NSW Government is truly committed to protecting vulnerable workers and building freedom together.”

 

Read the plan: Building Freedom Together, NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner's Annual Report 2024 – 2025 (PDF, 5.7 MB).

 

About the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner

The NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner is an independent statutory office charged with combating modern slavery in New South Wales. He reports not to the NSW Government, but to the NSW Parliament. The Commissioner’s role was established by the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW), which was supported by all political parties and came into effect in 2022.

The Commissioner’s functions include monitoring government procurement and promoting efforts to reduce modern slavery risk in government supply-chains, promoting good practice, policy advocacy, and providing direct support and assistance to victims of modern slavery.

If you or someone you know needs help or support, please reach out for assistance.

Call 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 33 36) for confidential support and advice for victims of modern slavery

 

Media contact

Timothy O’Connor | [email protected] | 0448 449 219