"Rana Plaza: five years on, modern slavery still rife worldwide", 24 April 2018

...Long after Australia officially abolished slavery...Global Slavery Index estimates there are about 4,300 people trapped in modern slavery in Australia.

... simply mandating that companies must report on their supply chains will not solve the problem. Australia's laws must go further than the UK model and not simply be a "tick the box" reporting exercise for companies.

First, the law should include clear guidance for companies on what and how they will report, to produce consistent and comparable reports that we can measure and track over time...Second, the law must require companies to conduct human rights due diligence on their supply chain...Third, there should be regulatory consequences for failing to report... Finally, such disclosure requirements should apply not only to corporate supply chains but also to other large entities such as governments and universities, whose extensive procurement supply chains are also susceptible to the presence of slavery and other human rights abuses.

A modern slavery disclosure law is exactly what is required for Australian companies to accept that the goods they sell are not produced in a vacuum. A cleverly crafted Australian Modern Slavery Act will improve the lives of many workers.