Open AccessAustralia’s Modern Slavery Act and COVID-19: a get out of jail free card?
Author(s) -
Fiona McGaughey
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of modern slavery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2574-9897
DOI - 10.22150/jms/vyxd6952
Subject(s) - covid-19 , audit , pandemic , business , supply chain , sample (material) , marketing , accounting , medicine , virology , chemistry , disease , pathology , chromatography , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The COVID-19 pandemic increased modern slavery risk around the world, including in the operations and supply chains of Australian businesses. This article thematically analyses a sample of available business statements under Australia’s Modern Slavery Act to assess how they engaged with modern slavery risks due to COVID-19. Overall, the statements acknowledged that COVID-19 had increased risks through rapidly altered supply chain profiles, urgent demand for items such as PPE, and yet there were widespread reports of reduced capacity to fully execute planned modern slavery risk assessment, training, and audit activities.