New South Wales government introduces the Modern Slavery Amendment Bill 2021 (NSW)
On 14 October 2021, the New South Wales government introduced the Modern Slavery Amendment Bill 2021 (NSW) (NSW Bill) to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) (NSW Act) and make further provisions with respect to modern slavery, slavery-like practices and human trafficking (see Legal update: archive, New South Wales government introduces the Modern Slavery Amendment Bill 2021 (NSW)). The NSW Bill proposes to substantially amend the NSW Act such that commercial organisations will no longer be subject to key regulatory measures, including:
- Mandatory reporting requirements.
- Penalties for failures to comply with mandatory reporting requirements.
- Court-enforced modern slavery risk orders.
Following its introduction into Parliament, the NSW Bill will be subject to further debate and amendment. If it successfully passes both Houses with the commencement date unamended, the NSW Bill will commence on 1 April 2022.
For ongoing coverage on the status of the NSW Bill and NSW Act, see Legislation Tracker, Modern slavery in New South Wales: legislation tracker.
For a guide to Practical Law's resources relating to modern slavery, see Toolkit, Modern slavery.