Do you know what your business is doing to prevent slavery?

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Do you know what your business is doing to prevent slavery?

Protect your enterprise from modern slavery by understanding your legal obligations and taking practical action now. The Modern Slavery Act 2018 commenced operation on 1st January 2019, creating reporting obligations for Australian entities that have a consolidated revenue of at least $100 million for the financial year or undertake business in Australia.

Practices that constitute modern slavery can include:

• human trafficking
• slavery
• servitude
• forced labour
• debt bondage
• forced marriage, and
• the worst forms of child labour

Since 2019, almost 4000 companies have provided statements published on the government's modern slavery register.

New report on Modern Slavery

Several years on, a new report titled Paper Promises? Evaluating the early impact of Australia's Modern Slavery Act, examines 102 of those statements submitted to the Government's Modern Slavery Register.

This report forms part of a two-year research project by academics and civil organisations aiming to improve responses to modern slavery practices, offering a clearer picture of how businesses across Australia works to meet compliance standards under current legislation.

Snapshot of key findings

Doing the right thing

Businesses want to do the right thing, but it's hard knowing where to start when tackling modern slavery risk.

Although the report shows large companies could improve their legal and ethical responsibilities, we've seen a marked increase in smaller organisations — well below the legal threshold — seeking Modern Slavery Policies. Recognising this shift matters, since smaller operators often lack dedicated compliance teams yet face similar exposure through complex supply chains.

Nearly two-thirds of forced labour victims can be found in the Asia-Pacific region. This makes Australian businesses highly susceptible to risk of being party to human rights abuses through their operations and supply chains, particularly where oversight of overseas suppliers remains limited.

Without a policy in place, identifying and addressing potential risks becomes challenging. A documented response demonstrates to regulators, customers and stakeholders that your organisation takes this seriously, rather than treating compliance as a box-ticking exercise.

How can businesses counter modern slavery risk?

Every organisation, regardless of size, has enormous capacity to protect workers' rights within their sphere of influence. Practical steps include:

• Reviewing supplier contracts and conduct requirements
• Training staff to recognise signs of forced labour
• Establishing clear reporting channels for concerns
• Auditing high-risk regions within your supply chains

Preventing modern slavery isn't solely a matter for large corporations under the Modern Slavery Act — it's a shared responsibility across industries, including construction, manufacturing and healthcare, where manufacturing supply chains often extend into higher-risk regions.

SafetyDocs Modern Slavery Policy

A Modern Slavery Policy serves as the foundation for any business aiming to prevent and address modern slavery. SafetyDocs Modern Slavery Policy was developed in 2020 and includes supplier conduct, staff training and reporting requirements — everything needed to get started.

Pairing this policy with a broader Business Improvement Policy helps embed accountability across daily operations, while our getting started guide walks you through downloading and implementing your documents. For further guidance, visit our support page, or explore practical guidance on related obligations in our article on notifiable incidents in Australia.

Click here to get started.

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