The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (12:22): I take note of the answer provided to the Hon. Damien Tudehope's question about compliance with the Anti-slavery Commission's Guidance on Reasonable Steps. With respect, the Minister's response did not address the core issue. The Anti-slavery Commissioner's guidelines have been publicly available since 1 January 2024. The guidelines were issued under section 27 of the Modern Slavery Act. This is an Act that the Minister stated "they fought hard for" when they were in opposition. It sets clear expectations for ethical procurement to prevent modern slavery. They fought hard to stamp out modern slavery when in opposition but, despite repeated calls for action, the opposite is true when they are in government. Neither the Procurement Board nor the Minister has taken the necessary steps to make the guidance binding.

The guidance remains voluntary without a ministerial direction. Voluntary compliance is simply not enough to eliminate modern slavery from New South Wales Government supply chains. Given the Government's substantial annual procurement power, why is it refusing to give the guidance binding force? This would send a clear message that New South Wales will not tolerate modern slavery. Is the Minister now saying that a consistent, legally backed procurement approach to eliminate modern slavery is not a priority for this Government? It is not good enough for the Government to say it supports the principle while doing nothing to enforce it. Why is it not binding? This is not only a procedural failure but also a failure of leadership, accountability and basic human rights.