This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Immigration, border & security
Australia would ban imports of any product made wholly or partly with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave., no matter which country it comes from.
Forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave. in global supply chains, highlighted by the exploitation of UyghursThis is the Muslim minority group the page says has been exploited through forced labour in Xinjiang. in XinjiangThis is the region in China where the page says Uyghur forced labour and detention abuses were a key driver for the bill., left Australia without a direct import ban on tainted goods. The bill bans imports made wholly or partly with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave. and makes them prohibited importsThese are goods that Australian customs law treats as banned from being brought into the country. under customs law.
The bill sat in a longer push to move Australia from disclosure about modern slavery risks to a direct customs ban on goods made with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave.. An identical version had passed the SenateThe bill was debated in the Senate, and the page says an earlier version had already passed there before lapsing later in the Parliament. in 2021, and the 31 August 2022 UNThe UN report mentioned in the page is used as evidence that forced labour and detention abuses in Xinjiang were serious enough to justify a ban. report on XinjiangThis is the region in China where the page says Uyghur forced labour and detention abuses were a key driver for the bill. gave the proposal fresh urgency. This version was introduced on 22 November 2022 but did not complete passage before Parliament ended on 21 July 2025.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and publicly available sources does not show a clear argument that banning forced-labour imports would cause specific harm. What is recorded instead is criticism that Australia’s existing modern slavery regime has been too weak and too reliant on company reporting, with no party represented in the cited debate opposing this bill.
Senator Jordon Steele-John introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Greens.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
972 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Australia would ban imports of any product made wholly or partly with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave., no matter which country it comes from.
The ban would apply even when forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave. was used for only part of a product’s making, not just the whole product.
Importers would be breaking Australia’s prohibited importsThese are goods that Australian customs law treats as banned from being brought into the country. rules if they brought in goods covered by the new forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave. ban.
The bill would use Australia’s criminal law definition of forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave., meaning work extracted through coercion, threats or deception when a person is not truly free to stop or leave.
Trade in goods produced through forced labour helps perpetuate modern slavery and its associated human rights abuses. The Bill will ban the importation of goods produced in whole or part by forced labour, regardless of geographic origin.Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) explanatory memorandum
5. Item 2 inserts after section 50 of the Customs Act a new section 50A which provides for an absolute prohibition on the importation of goods produced or manufactured, in whole or in part, through the use of forced labour within the meaning of the Criminal Code.Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) explanatory memorandum
7. Item 3 amends subsection 51(1) of the Customs Act to include reference to the new section 50A, thereby providing that goods covered by that new section are prohibited imports for the purposes of the Act.Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) explanatory memorandum
6. Section 270.6 of the Criminal Code defines forced labour as the condition of a person (the victim) who provides labour or services if, because of the use of coercion, threat or deception, a reasonable person in the position of the victim would not consider himself or herself to be free to cease providing the labour or services, or to leave the place or area where the victim provides the labour or services. The victim may be in a condition of forced labour whether or not escape is practically possible for the victim, or the victim has attempted to escape.Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) explanatory memorandum
Context
The bill sat in a longer push to move Australia from disclosure about modern slavery risks to a direct customs ban on goods made with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave.. An identical version had passed the SenateThe bill was debated in the Senate, and the page says an earlier version had already passed there before lapsing later in the Parliament. in 2021, and the 31 August 2022 UNThe UN report mentioned in the page is used as evidence that forced labour and detention abuses in Xinjiang were serious enough to justify a ban. report on XinjiangThis is the region in China where the page says Uyghur forced labour and detention abuses were a key driver for the bill. gave the proposal fresh urgency. This version was introduced on 22 November 2022 but did not complete passage before Parliament ended on 21 July 2025.
SenateThe bill was debated in the Senate, and the page says an earlier version had already passed there before lapsing later in the Parliament. passed identical import-ban bill
An identical version of the bill passed the SenateThe bill was debated in the Senate, and the page says an earlier version had already passed there before lapsing later in the Parliament. in 2021, showing parliamentary support for turning forced-labour goods into prohibited importsThese are goods that Australian customs law treats as banned from being brought into the country..
Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) explanatory memorandum ↗UNThe UN report mentioned in the page is used as evidence that forced labour and detention abuses in Xinjiang were serious enough to justify a ban. XinjiangThis is the region in China where the page says Uyghur forced labour and detention abuses were a key driver for the bill. report adds pressure for action
A UNThe UN report mentioned in the page is used as evidence that forced labour and detention abuses in Xinjiang were serious enough to justify a ban. human rights report detailed abuses in XinjiangThis is the region in China where the page says Uyghur forced labour and detention abuses were a key driver for the bill., including forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave. concerns, and was cited in the second reading speech as a reason for stronger import controls.
Second reading speech ↗Bill introduced to ban forced-labour imports
The bill was presented to create a global customs prohibition on imports made wholly or partly with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave..
Parliamentary timeline ↗Bill lapses without becoming law
The proposal did not complete its passage and fell when the Parliament ended.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and publicly available sources does not show a clear argument that banning forced-labour imports would cause specific harm. What is recorded instead is criticism that Australia’s existing modern slavery regime has been too weak and too reliant on company reporting, with no party represented in the cited debate opposing this bill.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Jordon Steele-John strongly supports the bill and urges the SenateThe bill was debated in the Senate, and the page says an earlier version had already passed there before lapsing later in the Parliament. to pass it so Australia can ban imports made with forced labourOn this page, this means work a person is made to do through coercion, threats or deception, when they are not really free to stop or leave..
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“Let this parliament be the one which stops forced labour imports and no longer allows Australia to be implicated in these horrific human rights abuses.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Lapsed at end of Parliament
Lapsed at end of Parliament
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
