To The Hon. Michaelia Cash, Minister for Jobs and Innovation,

The Australian Government stated in June 2014 that it “already has strong laws in place to prevent slavery, prosecute perpetrators, and help is available to assist victims if required.”

Yet despite these laws, a series of horrific examples have shown that domestic workers in Australia remain vulnerable to severe exploitation and abuse equal to modern slavery.

We therefore call on the Government of Australia to improve the safeguards for domestic workers in this country by:

– Ratifying the International Domestic Workers Convention (C189)

– Granting bridging visas to domestic workers who wish to pursue civil cases against their employer if other visa options are not available

– Providing culturally appropriate rights information to people intending to obtain employment as domestic workers prior to their departure to Australia, and implement safety and welfare compliance checks once they arrive