Employment Policy: Modern Slavery

The University of Newcastle has formal policy commitments to identify, prevent and respond to the risks of modern slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and child labour across its operations and supply chains.

• The University has a formal Modern Slavery Policy that:
  • Recognises the University as a reporting entity under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth).
  • Commits the University to identify, assess, mitigate, and respond to modern slavery risks in its operations, investments, and supply chains.
  • Establishes an Anti‑Slavery Working Group, which drives the development, review and monitoring of the University’s Modern Slavery Action Plan.
  • Requires that procurement staff receive training to identify, report, and respond to potential modern slavery incidents or risks.
  • Mandates that the University disclose areas of high risk and actions in its annual Modern Slavery Statement and in its annual reporting.

The origin of this policy dates to 2017. The current version was effective from the 10th of December 2024 and will be reviewed in 2027.

Latest Modern Slavery Statement (2024)

• The University’s most recent Modern Slavery Statement (covering operations and supply chains) was approved by University Council.
• This Statement includes not only the University itself, but its controlled entities, including:
  • The University of Newcastle Research Associates Ltd (TUNRA)
  • NUServices Pty Ltd
  • Newcastle University Sport (NUSport)
  • Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education (NAIHE), Singapore
• The Statement is publicly available and meets the reporting requirements under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth).

Key Features & Commitments of the Statement

• The University defines its scope broadly — the policy and statement apply to all staff, students, suppliers, contractors, and all business units under its control (domestic and international).
• It details processes of consultation across the University’s entities in preparing the statement, ensuring alignment across internal divisions.
• The statement includes a Modern Slavery Action Plan, risk assessments, supplier due diligence, capacity building (training) for procurement staff, and mechanisms for monitoring and reporting risks.

Procurement Policy

The Procurement Policy explicitly addresses these issues:

• Clause 4 states that the Policy supports university compliance with relevant legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act 2018.
• Clause 19 requires the University, in its procurement activities, to uphold transparency, probity, equity and ethical behaviour, and this includes “monitoring and reporting on the risks of modern slavery within the University’s operations and supply chains and implementing actions to address such risks.”

The origin of this policy dates to 2017. The current version was effective from the15th Sept 2023 with next review in late 2025.

These policies and practices ensure the University not only prohibits such exploitative labour practices but actively seeks to mitigate and report on the risks in its supply chain.