The Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network has submitted its 2023 ACAN Compendium of Modern Slavery Statements to the Commonwealth Government’s online register of Modern Slavery Statements.
In this edition, 44 Catholic organisations have assessed and addressed modern slavery risks in their supply chains and operations to comply with Australia’s Modern Slavery Act for the January 1-December 31, 2023, reporting period.
The 2023 edition includes aggregated data detailing about $4.5 billion of procurement spend across 13 high-risk goods and services with 45,000 suppliers.
“People in modern slavery can be working in supplier factories overseas but also on Catholic sites in Australia,” said ACAN Program Manager Alison Rahill.
“Modern slavery risk management must consider risks to people in far away in places like China, Pakistan and Turkey but also people on Catholic sites such as cleaners working in our offices, schools, hospitals, aged-care and community service settings.
“In fact, the biggest modern slavery risk in ACAN is to people in labour hire on Catholic construction projects.”
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has endorsed the compendium on behalf of the conference.
“The 2023 ACAN Compendium of Modern Slavery Statements reiterates the commitment of each Catholic entity to proactively respecting and upholding the infinite dignity of every human being, a principle that compels each of us to stand resolutely against all forms of modern slavery and human exploitation,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“We openly embrace the call to upholding the dignity of every person as we recommit ourselves to being bearers of God’s love and justice in the world through the communities we serve across our nation.”
Read the 2023 Compendium of Modern Slavery Statements.
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