b'BACK TO NAVIGATION CODE OF CONDUCTAustralias new Modern Slavery Act 2018 Act was passed by parliament on 29 November 2018 andcame into effect on 1 January 2019. The new legislation consolidates Australian law within a Modern Slavery Act and introduces new provisions for corporate disclosures and reporting, requiring public disclosure within six months after the end of each organisations financial reporting period. The NSW Modern Slavery Act was passed and assented to the legislation in June 2018 requires commercial organisations with an annual turnover of $50 million or more to produce a Modern Slavery Statement on the incidence of modern slavery in their supply chains. In June 2019 the NSW Government announced a review of their intended legislation which begun in August 2019 with scheduled release of review findings due on the 14th of February 2019.Both regimes seek to ensure that companies have a publicly-available modern slavery statement so that customers and the public can scrutinize enabling consumers and contractual counter-parties to assess, make decisions and participate in a debate about ethical supply chains.2019 AusLSA Member PerformanceJust under half (forty eight percent) of AusLSA members currently have a program or policy to address the sustainability impacts that occur as a result of the products and services they procure; however, ninety-three percent of these firms have now applied these standards to their existing suppliers as well as when establishing new contracts. Of the firms with sustainable supply chain programs, environmental considerations were most popular with ninety-three percent of firms considering them in their procurement. The next most popular elements were human rights issues which featured in eighty-two percent of firms procurement choices. Gender equity issues were considered by seventy-six percent of firms while indigenous inclusion was growing but still less common with only sixty-five percent of firms seeking goods and services from indigenous suppliers.Challenges and Opportunities For Sustainable Supply Chain Management practices to be workable in the business sector they need to be operationally practical and financially viable in addition to being ethically preferable. Sustainable supply chain management is still a relatively new practice in Australia and information about the sustainability impacts or products and the options for more sustainable alternatives is incomplete and often difficult to find and interpret. Making sustainable procurement a practical and low risk commitment for law firms requires an investment in better information about current products and suppliers as well as more sustainable alternatives. Law firms can begin by researching and adopting the most applicable and beneficial sustainability certifications for the most significant products they use.Like other areas of sustainability this process is a journey that requires commitment, leadership and innovation. Its a challenge made easier by customers like law firms working together and with suppliers to share information, systems and tools to collect and evaluate the sustainability of the products and services. This cooperation neednt be limited to the legal sector. Many of the products and services used by the legal sector are identical to those used more broadly in commerce and government. The Australian Governments recent Modern Slavery legislation and regulations will require most AusLSA members to develop new systems to research, understand manage their supply chain for modern slavery risks. AusLSA will work with members to share resources and information and look at the opportunities to develop tools to better manage this process.SUPPLY CHAIN STANDARDSLabour rightsHuman rightsGender equalityIndigenous inclusionCommunity supportConsumer issuesFair operating practicesEnvironmentUN Global Compact0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%Perecentage of firms55'