Amendment timeline
Modern Slavery Act 2018
Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth)
About this Act
Federal Act requiring entities with consolidated annual revenue of $100M+ to publish an annual Modern Slavery Statement describing the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, and what they're doing about it. Statements lodged on the Modern Slavery Statements Register (modernslaveryregister.gov.au), open and searchable. Currently no civil penalty for non-reporting — but the 2024 amendments paved the way for one.
- Original Royal Assent
- 10 December 2018
- Original commencement
- 1 January 2019
- Administered by
- MODERN-SLAVERY-COMM
Amendment timeline
Chronological list, oldest to newest. Each entry cites the legislation.gov.au compilation or as-made source and, where available, regulator guidance.
Modern Slavery Amendment (Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner) Act 2024
Royal Assent
11 June 2024
Commencement
Day after Royal Assent (12 Jun 2024) for most provisions; Commissioner appointed Q4 2024
What changed
Established the office of the Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner as an independent statutory authority within the Attorney-General's portfolio. Functions include promoting compliance with the Modern Slavery Act, supporting survivors, raising community awareness, and overseeing victim and survivor engagement. Did not introduce civil penalties for failing to report — that's a McMillan Review recommendation parked for future Government response.
Who's affected
All reporting entities (>$100M consolidated turnover); modern slavery survivors and support organisations.
What's coming next
McMillan Review response (still partial) — the 2023 statutory review made 30 recommendations including: lowering the reporting threshold to $50M, introducing a civil penalty for failing to report, mandating due-diligence as well as risk-identification, and prescribing high-risk-sector mandatory statements. The Government accepted the Anti-Slavery Commissioner recommendation immediately; the rest are under active consideration. Watch for a Modern Slavery Amendment Bill 2026 introducing penalties.
Why this matters now
Even without civil penalties, the Anti-Slavery Commissioner has the power to publicly call out non-compliant statements, and the Commissioner's reports are picked up by media and proxy advisors. ESG ratings agencies now weight modern slavery statement quality heavily. Procurement officers in Australian Government and large corporates increasingly require supply chain attestation as a tender prerequisite.
Frequently asked
Does the Act apply to my company?
Yes if you're an Australian entity or carrying on business in Australia with consolidated annual revenue of $100 million or more. The 'consolidated' threshold means group revenue, not just the reporting entity. Smaller entities can voluntarily report and many large customers require it through supply contracts.
Is there a penalty for not reporting?
Not yet under the Act itself. But the Commissioner can publicly comment on non-compliant statements, and reporting is a common contractual requirement in customer/supplier agreements. The McMillan Review recommended introducing a civil penalty — Government response pending.
When is the statement due?
Within 6 months after the end of the entity's financial reporting period. For a 30 June year-end, that's 31 December. For a 31 December year-end, 30 June. Statements are published on the Modern Slavery Statements Register run by AGD.
What does the Commissioner do?
Promote compliance, support survivors, engage with business and community, monitor implementation of the Act, conduct research and provide policy advice. The Commissioner cannot bring enforcement action against non-reporters — that's still a function of the AG only.
Is the small business exemption changing?
Possibly. The McMillan Review recommended halving the threshold to $50M consolidated turnover, which would bring an additional 2,500+ entities into scope. No Bill yet, but Government has indicated this is under 'active consideration' as part of its broader response to McMillan.
Other amendment timelines
Rules Mate summarises and links to legislation.gov.au and regulator guidance. We do not republish statutory text. Every date in this timeline has been verified against the Federal Register of Legislation as at 6 June 2026. Always verify against the live source before acting. Compliance tools, not legal advice. Consult a qualified professional.