A new report has found that companies in Australia are failing to identify or address modern slavery and labour exploitation in their supply chains and called for the strengthening of Australia’s modern slavery laws. The Modern Slavery Act, which entered into force on Jan. 1, 2019, established a modern slavery reporting requirement for large businesses and entities with annual consolidated revenue of at least $100 million (US$71 million). Two years since it was implemented, almost 4,000 statements have been published, and the investigative report by a coalition of human rights organisations, church groups, and academics examined submissions by 102 companies. “The Modern Slavery Act was meant to drive a ‘race to the top’ by business to address modern slavery in global supply chains, but our research indicates most companies have barely left the starting blocks,” report co-author Freya Dinshaw said. Instead of focusing on the largest market listed on the stock …