Businesses are being encouraged to work together to address modern slavery risks across shared supply chains, with the launch of a new suite of practical resources by the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Launched by Commissioner Chris Evans on 29 October, the resources aim to help businesses coordinate their efforts to prevent worker exploitation, improve labour practices and provide effective remedies when harm occurs.
The initiative comes as the Australian Government moves to strengthen Australia’s modern slavery laws, including a proposed new offence for companies that fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains.
The Commissioner said businesses often face common risks but attempt to address them independently, limiting their ability to influence labour practices and protect workers.
By collaborating, businesses can combine their influence to drive meaningful change, rather than relying on disconnected approaches.
The resources also aim to reduce the administrative burden on suppliers, who can face repeated assessments from multiple customers. Coordinated approaches could minimise duplication and allow businesses and suppliers to focus more effectively on preventing and addressing exploitation.
The resource suite includes a guide to effective collaboration, a practical toolkit for establishing or joining initiatives, cross-sector case studies and a directory of collaborative initiatives in Australia and internationally.
The materials build on work undertaken by the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to update the Sustainability Collaboration Guidance in December 2025. The updated guidance included modern slavery examples to help businesses collaborate with greater confidence while complying with competition law.
Developed following consultation with more than 50 stakeholders from business, civil society and the legal profession, the resources are intended to support businesses of all sizes, including those without dedicated human rights teams.
The Commissioner said the initiative was designed to make collaboration easier, with the ultimate goal of preventing exploitation and improving outcomes for workers.
The resources are available through the Office of the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Business Collaboration Hub.
