Submission On Modern Slavery Bill

This Bill will make a useful contribution to addressing modern slavery in New Zealand business operations and supply chains, by requiring large firms to report on modern slavery incidents and risks. This will bring New Zealand into closer alignment with peer countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, which already have modern slavery legislation. The NZCTU therefore supports the intent of this Bill. However, some improvements need to be made if the Bill is to be truly effective. The NZCTU recommends:

• The reporting requirements are strengthened so that reporting entities must undertake due diligence on modern slavery.
• Reporting entities are required to consult with trade unions when undertaking modern slavery reporting/due diligence.
• The revenue threshold for reporting entities is set at $50 million per annum, instead of $100 million.
• An Anti-Slavery Commissioner is established.
• Modern slavery reporting/due diligence should be completed using a standardised template to ensure accessible and comparable information.
• The modern slavery register should be easily navigable and searchable.
• The relevant regulator(s) must be sufficiently resourced to enforce compliance with this law
• Support for victims of modern slavery in New Zealand needs to be increased.