Eliminating modern slavery in government supply chains
Through its procurement function, the Queensland Government plays a key role in responding to and eliminating modern slavery and promoting human rights.
Our supply chains are complex, and the global nature of trade means we are at increased risk of exposure to modern slavery in Queensland and Australia.
Each year government agencies do business directly with thousands of suppliers, and indirectly with their supply chains.
The Queensland Procurement Policy 2023 requires government agencies to identify, assess and take action to eliminate as far as possible, or mitigate modern slavery risks in relation to agency supply chains in accordance with the guidance provided in Eliminating modern slavery in government supply chains. This is separate to any obligation agencies may have under the Modern Slavery Act 2018(Cth). The Eliminating modern slavery in government supply chains guide can be accessed as part of the toolkit (referenced below) developed to support the framework and roadmap.
Eliminating modern slavery toolkit
Government’s significant investment is not used to support unethical suppliers benefiting from modern slavery.
An eliminating modern slavery toolkit is available to ensure Queensland Government’s significant investment is not used to support unethical suppliers benefiting from modern slavery.
This primary suite of tools includes:
This will be built upon to respond to government buyer and supplier needs.
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery is a term used to describe the most serious forms of exploitation. It describes situations where offenders use coercion, threats or deception to exploit victims and undermine their freedom.
Types of modern slavery include human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage and the worst forms of child labour.
Unethical practices like substandard working conditions, long hours, wage theft or underpayment experienced by workers do not represent modern slavery, however these types of unacceptable working conditions, if left unchecked, can escalate into situations that could become modern slavery.
Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018
The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (the Act) entered into force on 1 January 2019. The Act established a national Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement.
The introduction of the Act requires entities that conduct business in Australia with an annual revenue of at least AU $100 million to comply with the Act and publish annual Modern Slavery Statements in an online register.
While the Act does not extend to Queensland Government agencies (e.g. budget sector agencies), there may be some entities captured by the Act that are required to comply and prepare annual Modern Slavery Statements for the Australian Government, such as:
- commercialised business units of agencies
- government-owned corporations
- large statutory bodies
- suppliers to Queensland Government.
Each agency, or parts within the agency, is encouraged to seek independent legal advice to determine if it meets the criteria for reporting to the Australian Government.
Any queries about the obligations of the Act, reporting requirements, and preparing and submitting annual Modern Slavery Statements, should be directed to Attorney-General’s Department via email at support@modernslaveryregister.gov.au. For more information about reporting, visit the Attorney-General’s Department’s website.
Training on modern slavery
Government buyers are encouraged to learn more about modern slavery. The providers listed below deliver free and fee-based training to support this learning:
- Anti-Slavery Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that has worked with the University of Technology Sydney to develop a range of training options and an advisory service about modern slavery. The general training is suitable for high school and university students, community and frontline workers, educators, and the public. For more information, contact Anti-Slavery Australia on (02) 9514 9660 or email antislavery@uts.edu.au.
- Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) offers members free access to the Ethical Procurement and Supply eLearning and test(with a small fee for non-members), as well as a Modern Slavery Awareness training course.
- Business and Government Engagement, within the Australian Border Force, offer a free eLearning module to support training of procurement officers in understanding modern slavery and ethical procurement practices.
Related information
For more information about ethical procurement and managing substandard workplace practices, refer to the following documents:
- Supporting Best Practice Principles
- Queensland Government Supplier Code of Conduct 2023
- Ethical Supplier Mandate
- Ethical Supplier Threshold.
Contact us
For queries about the framework and roadmap, contact Queensland Government Procurement via email at betterprocurement@epw.qld.gov.au.