Slavery offences
270.3 Slavery offences
A person who, whether within or outside Australia, intentionally:
reduces a person to slavery; or
possesses a slave or exercises over a slave any of the other powers attaching to the right of ownership; or
engages in slave trading; or
enters into any commercial transaction involving a slave; or
exercises control or direction over, or provides finance for:
any act of slave trading; or
any commercial transaction involving a slave;
commits an offence.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 25 years.
A person who:
whether within or outside Australia:
enters into any commercial transaction involving a slave; or
exercises control or direction over, or provides finance for, any commercial transaction involving a slave; or
exercises control or direction over, or provides finance for, any act of slave trading; and
is reckless as to whether the transaction or act involves a slave, slavery, slave trading or the reduction of a person to slavery;
commits an offence.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 17 years.
In this section:
commercial transaction involving a slave includes a commercial transaction by which a person is reduced to slavery.
slave trading includes:
the capture, transport or disposal of a person with the intention of reducing the person to slavery; or
the purchase or sale of a slave.
A person who engages in any conduct with the intention of securing the release of a person from slavery does not commit an offence against this section.
The defendant bears a legal burden of proving the matter mentioned in subsection (4).
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