The Modern Slavery Bill 2018 was introduced to the Australian Parliament on 28 June 2018 by the Assistant Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Alex Hawke MP. 

The text of the Bill and related explanatory documents are available on the Parliamentary website. Debate on the Bill will occur in the next Parliamentary sittings period, in September 2018.

Key elements of the Modern Slavery Bill include:

• Application to Australian companies and foreign entities carrying on a business in Australia. 

• Australian Government to publish an annual consolidated statement covering Commonwealth procurement. 

• Reporting on all modern slavery practices criminalised under Commonwealth law, including slavery, trafficking in persons, servitude, forced labour, forced marriage and the worst forms of child labour.   

• A Government-run, public central repository of Modern Slavery Statements. Reporting entities to publish Modern Slavery Statements within six months from the end of their financial year. 

• Mandatory reporting criteria on: corporate structure, operations and supply chains; potential modern slavery risks; actions taken to assess and address risks; and how they assess the effectiveness of their actions. 

• A reporting threshold of AUD$100 million annual consolidated revenue.

The Bill does not include:

• Financial penalties for non-reporting.

• Provisions establishing an Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

• A public list of entities required to report under the legislation.

• A requirement that companies subject to the legislation must comply to be eligible for participation in public tenders.