First Conviction of Forced Labour

A Brisbane couple have been found guilty of the offence of forced labour. This is the first time there has been a conviction for the offence of forced labour in Australia. A jury also found the wife to be guilty of trafficking. The couple forced a Fijian woman to work as their domestic slave for eight years. The woman was brought to Australia on a tourist visa in 2008. Her passport was confiscated. She was forced to work long hours for between $150 to $250 per fortnight. The woman had previously worked for the couple in Tonga. Forced labour carries a sentence of up to nine years or 12 years for aggravated offences. Read more…

In sentencing the couple Judge Leanne Clare SC declared the couple’s actions to be a “callous” and “calculated crime.” Malavine Pulini was sentenced to six years in prison while her husband, Isikeli Puline, was sentenced for five years. Read more…