Eliminating modern slavery in government supply chains
Modern slavery is a term used to describe the most serious forms of exploitation and situations where offenders use:
- threats
- violence
- coercion
- deception.
Types of modern slavery include:
- human trafficking
- slavery
- servitude
- forced marriage
- debt bondage
- deceptive recruiting for labour or services
- forced labour
- the worst forms of child labour.
Through its procurement function, the Queensland Government plays a key role in responding to and eliminating modern slavery and promoting human rights.
Our supply chains are complex, and the global nature of trade means we are at increased risk of exposure to modern slavery in Queensland and Australia.
Each year government agencies do business directly with thousands of suppliers and indirectly with their supply chains.
The Queensland Government is committed to conducting business exclusively with ethical suppliers; the Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 (QPP) states that when determining the procurement strategy, agencies should consider taking action to eliminate as far as possible, or mitigate, modern slavery and foreign interference risks in relation to agency supply chains.
Eliminating modern slavery toolkit
Government’s significant investment is not used to support unethical suppliers benefiting from modern slavery.
The Eliminating modern slavery in government supply chains guide, along with a suite of tools, is available to ensure Queensland Government’s significant investment is not used to support unethical suppliers benefiting from modern slavery.
The suite consists of:
- Tool 1 – Procurement planning questions
- Tool 2 – Sample contract clauses
- Tool 3 – Protocol for reporting modern slavery
- Tool 4 – Supplier self-assessment questionnaire.
Related information
For more information about ethical procurement and managing substandard workplace practices, refer to:
- Managing and monitoring supplier performance guide
- Queensland Government Supplier Code of Conduct 2026.