Options for action: Building an effective response to modern slavery in Australia

This Discussion Paper was commissioned by the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner as independent research to contribute to the national conversation on reforms to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth). The paper evaluates the limitations of Australia’s current Modern Slavery Act and presents a structured set of options for reform through the introduction of a mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence (mHRDD) obligation. It provides a detailed analysis of international standards, emerging global laws, and comparative regulatory experiments to identify the core elements of an effective due diligence regime. Through comparative research, the paper analyses how other jurisdictions have legislated for mHRDD, and what lessons Australia can draw from these approaches.