On 29 November 2018 the Federal Parliament passed the Modern
Slavery Act 2018 ("the Commonwealth Act"), which
requires "entities with annual turnover of over $100
million to report on the risks of modern slavery in their
operations and supply chains and actions entity has taken to
address those risks, and for related purposes".
The Commonwealth Act follows the similar legislation passed by
the New South Wales parliament last year (which we covered in the
April 2018 edition), which made NSW the first Australian
jurisdiction to enact such legislation.
Modern Slavery
The
Explanatory Memorandum that accompanied the Commonwealth Act
characterises "modern slavery practices" as
"major violations of human rights and serious crimes.
Modern slavery practices include trafficking in persons, slavery,
slavery-like practices (including forced labour and forced
marriage) and the worst forms of child labour (including using
children for prostitution or in hazardous work)".
