The chair of the Australian parliamentary committee on human rights says the country has failed to prioritize the fight against modern slavery and is now playing “catch up” on the issue — but that those concerns should not stymie greater investment in Southeast Asia from Australian firms.
Josh Burns, a member of Parliament from the Australian Labor Party, which returned to government in May 2022 after almost nine years in opposition, said Tuesday that “we have to make sure that Australia is reaching out and engaging with the region economically, but we have to do it in a way that respects human rights and respects people's individual rights.”
Burns was speaking at a side event during the gathering of Southeast Asian nations in Melbourne, where Australia announced a range of spending in the region, including a 2 billion Australian dollars Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility, designed to boost economic ties, particularly in clean energy and infrastructure.
About the author
Vince Chadwickvchadw
Vince Chadwick is a contributing reporter at Devex. A law graduate from Melbourne, Australia, he was social affairs reporter for The Age newspaper, before covering breaking news, the arts, and public policy across Europe, including as a reporter and editor at POLITICO Europe. He was long-listed for International Journalist of the Year at the 2023 One World Media Awards.
