Established 1 January 2019, the Modern Slavery Business Engagement Unit (the Unit) in the Australian Border Force (ABF) is responsible for driving effective implementation of the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018. The Unit’s role includes providing guidance and support to reporting entities about compliance and managing the public register of statements. The Unit has worked with businesses and civil society to develop the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act – Guidance for reporting entities (2MB PDF) to comply with the Act. Key activities to date include:
- convening Australia’s first national modern slavery conference for 400 delegates from 18 countries
- developing detailed guidance for reporting entities in consultation with business and civil society experts
- undertaking an extensive awareness-raising program involving over 40 events and workshops
- establishing an online helpdesk that assisted almost 250 entities, and
- commencing the development of the Australian Government’s own Commonwealth modern slavery
statement, explaining how we are addressing modern slavery risks in our own procurement and
investment activities.
The Unit provides a free email helpdesk function for entities to seek general advice from Government about the Act and their reporting obligations. Entities can access this helpdesk by emailing slavery.consultations@abf.gov.au.
Our mission is to protect Australia’s border and enable legitimate travel and trade.
Our vision is to be a global leader in border law enforcement and trusted partner that helps build a safe, secure and prosperous Australia.
