The Prime Minister has apologised for any offence caused by his comments that Australia “did not have slavery”, explaining that he was specifically talking about the first New South Wales colony.
Key points:
- The Prime Minister says he “deeply regrets and apologises for” any offence caused by his comments
- Scott Morrison previously said there was no slavery in Australia
- Slavery and trafficking of Indigenous and South Sea Islander people into low-paid work in Australia has been well documented
Yesterday, in defending the legacy of Captain James Cook, Scott Morrison told radio station 2GB Australia was not founded as a slave colony and that “there was no slavery in Australia”.
“Australia, when it was founded as a settlement, as NSW, was on the basis that there be no slavery, while slave ships continued to tra