Australia
Modern Slavery Act Australia: reporting requirements
If you searched for the Modern Slavery Act Australia, you usually need one of two things: whether your entity must lodge under the Commonwealth Act, or a statement because a portal will not onboard you without one. This page covers the Act, the seven mandatory criteria, and what the Australian Statements Register currently shows.
Last updated
Key takeaways
- The Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 requires annual statements from entities with consolidated revenue of AU$100 million+ that meet the Act’s nexus tests.
- Statements go on the Australian Government Modern Slavery Statements Register.
- A compliant statement addresses seven mandatory criteria, even when you lodge voluntarily.
- Below AU$100m, customers (Felix, Avetta, CM3 and similar) still commonly ask for a statement or policy.
Do you need a modern slavery statement?
Answer a few questions for a quick steer. Guidance only, not legal advice.
Has a customer or supplier portal asked you for a modern slavery statement or policy?
What the Modern Slavery Act Australia requires
The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) is Australia’s national reporting law for modern slavery in operations and supply chains. It does not create a general small-business filing duty. It captures larger reporting entities and sets a public transparency process through the Attorney-General’s Department register.
In short: identify whether you are a reporting entity, prepare an annual statement against the Act’s criteria, have it approved by the board (or equivalent), and lodge it on modernslaveryregister.gov.au. NSW has separate modern slavery legislation that can sit alongside Commonwealth reporting for some entities. Overseas laws (for example the UK Act) also appear as related obligations on many Australian filings.
How to write against the seven mandatory criteria
Whether you are mandatory or voluntary, structure the statement so each criterion is answered in plain language.
- 1
Identify the reporting entity
Legal name, ABN where relevant, and a short description of the business.
- 2
Describe structure, operations and supply chains
What you do, where you operate, and who you buy from at a useful level of detail.
- 3
Describe modern slavery risks
Where forced labour, debt bondage or related risks could appear in your model, including higher-risk categories of spend.
- 4
Describe actions to assess and address those risks
Due diligence, contracts, audits, remediation and how concerns are handled.
- 5
Explain how you assess effectiveness
What you review each year and what would count as improvement.
- 6
Describe consultation and other relevant information
How you consulted entities you own or control, plus training or forward plans that matter.
Download the statement template
Get the editable Modern Slavery statement template in Word and PDF, then fill the seven criteria with Australian detail.
Australian Statements Register snapshot
Public counters from the Commonwealth register. They show how common lodging has become, including voluntary statements.
- Statements on the register
- 17,543
- Mandatory statements (indicative)
- 16,446
- Voluntary statements (indicative)
- 1,097
- Entities covered (indicative)
- 28,108
- Also citing UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
- 2,501
- Also citing NSW Modern Slavery Act 2018
- 1,765
Search index total at retrieval.
Entities covered by lodged statements.
Facet count for related overseas reporting obligations.
Facet count on the Commonwealth register search.
Basis: Homepage counters and search facets; voluntary CSV sector sample n=1,097
Mandatory reporting vs portal asks
Same document family, different trigger.
| Mandatory under the Act | Asked by a customer / portal | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical trigger | AU$100m+ consolidated revenue and Act nexus | Supplier onboarding or tender, any size |
| Where it lives | Must be lodged on the Commonwealth register | Uploaded to Felix, Avetta, CM3 or similar; register lodging still helps |
| Depth expected | Seven criteria, approved and signed as the Act requires | Credible coverage of the same criteria; thin one-liners fail review |
| Companion docs | Statement is the statutory product | Often a statement plus a policy |
Modern slavery policy for Australian small business
A policy is your internal rulebook. A statement is the public report for a reporting period. Small businesses below the AU$100m threshold are often asked for the policy, the statement, or both. Keep the policy short: commitment, scope, responsibilities, supplier expectations, reporting channel, and annual review.
If you need the fillable outline rather than Act framing, use the modern slavery policy template. For risk documentation, see the modern slavery risk assessment template. Peer country context: Modern Slavery Act UK.
FAQs
Who needs to comply with the Modern Slavery Act in Australia?+
What is the Modern Slavery Act summary?+
How do you write a modern slavery statement in Australia?+
What are the Australian Modern Slavery Act reporting requirements?+
Do I need a modern slavery policy if I already have a statement?+
Get a portal-ready Australian modern slavery statement
ESG Complete writes a tailored PDF built for supplier portals, usually within the hour.
Modern Slavery Statement
A standalone, portal-ready Modern Slavery Statement for vendors who only need this one document. (AU$159 inc GST)
Get started->Done-for-you option
Request access for a drafted statement. We confirm fit manually before work starts.
Requests for the Modern Slavery are reviewed and prepared manually, we'll follow up by email.
Data sources
Register counters and facets: Australian Modern Slavery Statements Register (Copyright Attorney-General’s Department).