Current perceptions on the problem of modern slavery in business

Katherine Leanne Christ*, Roger Leonard Burritt

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    29 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Australia is one of the latest countries to consider introduction of a Modern Slavery Act. An Inquiry by the Parliament of Australia has received nearly 200 submissions from a range of interested stakeholders. This paper classifies and then synthesizes the perceptions of these groups on the role of Australian business in addressing modern slavery issues raised by the Inquiry. Modern slavery in Australian business is seen to be a small tip of a large iceberg hidden in global supply chains. Although the vast majority support introduction of an Act in Australia issues arising include an ongoing lack of transparency for consumers, the relative powerlessness of domestic unions to engage, tensions between national and international standard setting for reporting, and how to engage all businesses not just multinational companies. A set of future research questions arising are developed in the hope of stimulating reduction in the insidious practices of modern slavery.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)103-114
    Number of pages12
    JournalBusiness Strategy and Development
    Volume1
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

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