National and Labour have joined forces to fast-track modern slavery legislation into Parliament using a new bipartisan process that bypasses the traditional members’ bill ballot, after ACT refused to support the proposal.
Co-sponsored by National MP Greg Fleming and Labour MP Camilla Belich, the bill would require large companies earning over $100 million annually to report on modern slavery risks in their supply chains, establish a public register, strengthen parliamentary oversight, and introduce civil penalties of up to $600,000, along with fines of up to $200,000 for non-compliance or misleading reporting.
The legislation would also allow for public naming, potential liability for directors and senior managers, give the Human Rights Commission a formal role, and enable future reviews including the possible creation of an ‘anti-slavery commissioner’.
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ACT wouldn’t support it? did he have to check with Davos first but they were busy?