In Australia, the government has appointed the country’s first anti-slavery commissioner. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus today announced that Chris Evans, a former senator and human rights official, will serve as the inaugural Australian anti-slavery commissioner for a five-year term commencing in December. Dreyfus said in a statement that modern slavery deprives victims of their dignity, fundamental rights, and freedoms.

The new commissioner role will strengthen the work undertaken across government, business, and society in Australia to prevent and respond to modern slavery, he added. Walk Free’s 2023 Global Slavery Index estimated that there were 41,000 people living in modern slavery in Australia in 2021. A report released by the anti-slavery commissioner of the state of New South Wales in September estimated that there were 16,400 people in modern slavery in the state.