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Proposals and consultations — not law

Proposed changes to modern slavery laws

None of the items below has changed the Act or is law. What applies today is described in what the Act requires.

General information, not legal advice. Captured on 8 November 2026. The consultation paper, the Federal Register and the Register’s annual reports were re-checked that day; the other Attorney-General’s Department pages could not be. Confirm against each source before relying on it.

  1. Proposed — not law · Review report · 25 May 2023 (tabled)

    Statutory review of the Act (McMillan review)

    30 recommendations, including lowering the reporting threshold to $50 million, a due diligence requirement, and penalties for failing to report or for false statements.

  2. Proposed — not law · Government response · 2 December 2024

    Australian Government response to the review

    Agreed in full, in part or in principle to 25 of the 30 recommendations, and noted the other 5.

  3. Proposed — not law · Consultation (closed) · 21 July 2025 – April 2026

    Strengthening the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth)

    Attorney-General's Department consultation on operational issues, the mandatory criteria, compliance and enforcement, due diligence and high-risk declarations.

  4. Proposed — not law · Announcement · 16 July 2026

    Announced intention to create a failure-to-prevent offence

    The Australian Government announced its intention to introduce a new criminal offence for large entities that fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains, and civil penalties for non-compliance with existing obligations under the Act (as described in the August 2026 consultation paper). The Federal Register shows no change to the Act since 7 November 2024, and the paper says these measures “have not received final government approval and are not yet law”.

  5. Proposed — not law · Consultation (closed) · 21 August – 25 September 2026

    Strengthening Australia's legislative response to modern slavery in supply chains

    Consultation paper on the design of the proposed offence and defence.

Sources