Under a group called the Australian Freedom Network, the leaders of Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish faiths have written a letter, to coincide with the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery(Dec 2)
They're calling for the establishment of an independent anti-slavery commissioner to protect the rights of those who might be exploited.
They're concerned about the welfare and human rights of thousands of migrant workers experiencing or at risk of forced labour in Australia.
There are estimates more than 4,000 people in Australia live in some form of slavery.
According to the Australian Freedom Network, slave-like conditions are prevalent in parts of the agriculture and restaurant sectors.
A big obstacle is getting the victims of slave-like working conditions to come forward and report what is happening to authorities.
Australia needs to adopt legislation to ensure business supply chains are transparent and free of unethical exploitation or slavery-like practices so consumers can be assured they're not supporting slave labour, they said.
Letter to PM Source: http://afn.org.au/2016-faith-leaders-letter/
