An Australian senate committee says the government should investigate blockchain technology to help curb the countryâs imports of forced-labor goods.
The Senateâs Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Committee report on Thursday made several recommendations intended to sharpen the focus of the countryâs customs bill.
The committee, which was charged with examining the potency of Australiaâs Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Uyghur Forced Labor) Bill 2020, has made 14 recommendations ranging from broadening the legislation to empowering the countryâs border force.
The report underscores the importance of investigating various technologies to track the provenance of goods along the supply chain in order to stop imports produced by slave labor.
Blockchain, along with isotopic labeling and microbiome tracing, could âempowerâ companies and governments to more âefficientlyâ and âeffectivelyâ trace their supply chains, the report stated.
The Customs Amendment, which was proposed in December by Independent Senator Rex Patrick, seeks to amend the countryâs Customs Act 1901. If passed, amendments to the bill would prohibit the import of âslave laborâ goods arriving from the Xinjiang province and other parts of China.
âI am very pleased with the outcome of this important inquiry which has delivered strong bipartisan recommendations for action to prevent the importation of goods produced using forced labor,â Patrick said in a press statement on Thursday. âEspecially in regard to imports from China made using coerced Uyghur people.â
Australiaâs relations with China have soured in recent years, because of allegations over the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, Chinese-instituted tariffs on Australian exports and allegations over Chinaâs treatment of its ethnic Uyghur population.
Patrick said given the emergency, the Australian government should move âwithout delayâ to implement the Senate committeeâs recommendation before yearsâ end.
To see the full list of the committeeâs recommendations, click here.
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