Considering the scope of Australia’s Modern Slavery Act: who should report on their modern slavery risks?

Modern slavery exists in Australia and in the supply chains of Australian businesses. It is a complex problem, with complex drivers. As a relatively new part of Australia’s armoury against modern slavery, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) was enacted with the promise of assisting businesses to take proactive and effective steps to address modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act has now been in operation for 3 years, and it is timely to explore some key issues relating to its operation. This article focuses on the scope of the Act in terms of which entities are subject to its mandatory reporting requirement.