CSIRO Modern Slavery 
Statement 2023 

Published December 2023

Message from our Chief 
Operating Officer 

For over 100 years, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been 
improving the lives of people everywhere with our science. We have advanced Australia with a range 
of inventions and innovations that have had significant positive impact on the lives of people around 
the world. We continue to have positive impact, not only through our science, but also through our 
business practices. 

Modern slavery is a global humanitarian issue that touches all businesses and individuals through 
purchasing decisions and practices. It is a systemic issue that occurs not only abroad, but also in Australia. 
We recognise that all entities must play their part and CSIRO is committed to the prevention of slavery in 
all its forms and to address the risks inherent in our operations and supply chain.

We have made further beneficial changes since publishing our first modern slavery statement in 2020, 
and this new statement reflects our commitment to continually improve our practices and to address and 
respect human rights across our business.

Tom Munyard
CSIRO Chief Operating Officer
December 2023

Approval by the CSIRO Board

This Modern Slavery Statement (Statement) sets out CSIRO’s actions to meet reporting obligations 
under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) (the Act) for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. 

This Statement has been approved by the CSIRO Board and signed by Ms Kathryn 
Fagg AO, Chair of the CSIRO Board on 29 November 2023.1

Signature:

1. Ms Kathryn Fagg AO, Chair of the CSIRO Board is a responsible member of the principal governing body as defined by the Act.



Introduction

At CSIRO, we continue our commitment to prevent modern slavery2 
and to continually improve our efforts to assess and address 
modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains.

This Statement outlines our progress, and an improved 
understanding of risks and actions undertaken during 
the reporting period. This Statement also describes 
our efforts to monitor the effectiveness of our actions 
and sets out our plans for the coming year. 

Addressing modern slavery reflects our wider approach to 
sustainability and actions to address our potential impacts 
to people and planet. This Statement complements our 
Annual Report 20233 and Sustainability Report 20234, 
further expanding on our performance reporting. 

2

 

Modern slavery is defined under s.4 of the Act and includes trafficking persons and the worst forms of child labour.

3 https://www.csiro.au/annualreport2023

4 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/strategy/Sustainability


4 CSIRO Modern Slavery Statement 2023



Consultation in the development 
of this Statement

This section details content to satisfy mandatory criteria 1(f) under section 16 of the 
Act, including a description of the process of consultation in the development of the 
Statement with any entities owned or controlled. 

To prepare this Statement, we consulted a range of internal 
stakeholders, including entities owned and controlled by 
CSIRO. The consultation processes included:

• A survey via the Sustainable Procurement 
Working Group to gauge the level of engagement, 
knowledge, and/or actions taken to understand 
or address modern slavery risks.
• Interviews with internal stakeholders across business 
areas with potential modern slavery risk factors or 
who play a role in risk controls. These stakeholders 
included representation from procurement, 
facilities management, business and information 
services, information management and technology 
functions, CSIRO Publishing, the Research Vessel 
(RV) Investigator team (marine services), the small 
and medium-sized enterprise (SME) engagement 
unit5 and various research departments.
• A review of the Statement’s contents throughout the 
drafting process by senior managers from a broad 
range of functions including: Finance, Governance, 
Business and Infrastructure Services and Legal.


5 https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/funding-programs/sme

5



Our organisation

This section details content to satisfy mandatory criteria 1(a) and 1(b) 
under section 16 of the Act, including identification of the reporting 
entity, a description of its structure, operations and supply chains.

Our purpose

CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and 
innovation catalyst. Our collaborative research 
turns science into solutions to address Australia’s 
greatest challenges including food security and 
quality; health and wellbeing; resilient and valuable 
environments; sustainable energy and resources; 
future industries; and a secure Australia and region.

For over a century, CSIRO has been improving the lives of 
people everywhere with our science. We are one of the 
largest and most diverse scientific research organisations 
in the world. Our research focuses on the biggest 
challenges6 facing our nation. We manage state-of-the‑art 
research facilities, for greater collaboration and the 
development of new technologies to support Australia. 

We have advanced Australia with a range of inventions 
and innovations that have had significant positive impacts 
on the lives of people around the world. Some of these 
include fast WiFi, the Hendra Virus vaccine, extended 
wear contact lenses and the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. 

We describe our purpose as ‘Solving the greatest 
challenges through innovative science and technology’. 

We have four primary objectives7 to 
help us deliver on our purpose:

1. Deliver impact through innovation.
2. Purpose driven science and technology.
3. Engage and empower talent.
4. Build collaborative networks.


Identification of the reporting entity

CSIRO is an Australian Government statutory authority, with 
a Board and Chief Executive. We are constituted by and 
operate under the provisions of the Science and Industry 
Research Act 1949 (SIR Act), which sets out our functions and 
powers, as well as those of the Federal Minister for Industry 
and Science (Minister), our Board and Chief Executive. 

CSIRO (ABN 41 687 119 230) meets the reporting threshold 
of the Modern Slavery Act. We have several owned and 
controlled entities set out in Table 1, that contribute 
to the delivery of our purpose, vision and objectives. 
As indicated, these entities do not meet the reporting 
threshold set out by the Act. In addition, they do not 
carry out operations or engage personnel separate 
from CSIRO. Some operate as trusts managed by CSIRO 
subsidiaries for the purpose of investment and funding.

Table 1: Entities owned or controlled by CSIRO 

ENTITY

ABN

REPORTING ENTITY8

The Science 
and Industry 
Endowment 
Fund (SIEF)

30 996 538 219

No

National ICT 
Australia 
(NICTA)

62 102 206 173

No

CSIRO 
Financial 
Services 
Pty Limited 
manager of 
The 
Innovation 
Fund9

82 609 904 289

No

The CSIRO 
Chile 
Research 
Foundation 
(Fundación)

n/a

No

The CSIRO US 
Office

n/a

No





6 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/challenges-missions/Challenges

7 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Corporate-governance/Corporate-Plan/22-23-corporate-plan.

8 Reporting entity for the purposes of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth)

9 http://www.mseq.vc/



Governance 

The governance, performance and accountability 
requirements of our operations, including the use 
and management of public resources, are set out in 
the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability 
Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and related rules, insofar as they 
apply to corporate Commonwealth entities. 

At CSIRO, our Chief Financial Officer prepares the 
modern slavery statement, and presents to our Chief 
Operating Officer (COO), the Executive Team and the 
Board for approval. Our COO is a member of the CSIRO 
Sustainability Steering Committee, and Executive sponsor 
of the CSIRO Sustainability Strategy 2020-203010.

The CSIRO Sustainable Procurement Working Group 
with representation from the health and safety, 
procurement, legal, commercial and sustainability 
functions, continued to support delivery of the 
Sustainable Procurement Implementation Plan 
(SPIP), a key initiative of our Sustainability Strategy. 
The SPIP includes a range of initiatives directly relevant 
to modern slavery governance and risk mitigation and 
is described in more detail later in this statement. 

10 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/strategy/sustainability


7



Research

Cooperative Research Centres

Research Development Corporations

Publicly Funded Research Agencies

Universities

We partner with research institutions through 
co‑location, co-publication and collaborative 
research to boost innovation and ensure the best 
available research is used to solve the greatest 
challenges and deliver outcomes for Australia 
and the world.

Government

Local councils

State

Federal

International

We share our research activities and provide 
scientific information and advice to inform policy 
development and program implementation.

Industry

Large corporations

Small to medium-sized enterprises

Accelerator and innovation funds

Start-ups

Venture capital

We partner with industry to co‑create 
commercialisation outcomes that 
deliver the impact and create 
economic value for the nation. 

Community

Outreach programs

STEM education

Indigenous engagement

We deliver learning experiences for students, 
teachers and the community to equip Australians 
with the knowledge they need to enter the 
workforce and increase their science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics skills.

Our operations 

The majority of our business activity is centred on scientific 
research and development11 spanning astronomy and space, 
animals and plants, natural environments, farming and food 
production, health and medical, information technology, 
renewable energy, and mining and manufacturing. 

Our research and development activities include:

• collaboration and cooperation with Australian 
governments, national and international 
universities, and research institutions
• collaboration with industry and 
with businesses of all sizes 
• funding and programs12
• education and scholarship opportunities. 13 


Some of our other activities include:

• managing Australia’s national research collections 
and facilities14, including the Australian Centre for 
Disease Preparedness, the Pawsey Supercomputing 
Centre, and the Atlas of Living Australia
• publishing and distributing physical and 
digital journals, books and magazines centred 
on scientific and educational content
• intellectual property and proprietary research 
and tool ownership including generating 
patent ownership and revenue
• generating and funding ‘spin-out’ companies 
to commercialise our research activities such 
as BARLEYmaxTM and FutureFeed15
• assigning funding and establishing partnerships 
on behalf of The Science and Industry Endowment 
Fund (SIEF) and the SME Connect program16
• operating our Marine National Facility’s RV 
Investigator, supporting Australia’s atmospheric, 
oceanographic, biological and geoscience research 
from the tropical north to the Antarctic ice-edge17
• supporting our core business activities through 
corporate functions including administration, 
facility management, finance, communications and 
marketing, information technology services, human 
resources, health and safety, legal, commercial 
and global, and sustainability services.




Our sites

As at 30 June 2023, we operated 49 sites across Australia 
and 2 sites overseas. Our people also access desks or small 
areas of land for research purposes in 31 minor locations.

Our people

As of 30 June 2023, we had 6,316 directly employed 
people. Over 60 per cent, are classified within the 
research function. Our diverse workforce of people 
come from more than 130 countries, ranging from 
trainees and apprentices to emeritus researchers 
and support staff. This diversity of minds and lived 
experiences breeds innovation and is critical to 
overcoming the challenges we need to tackle.

Our supply chain

CSIRO procures a range of products and services to 
support our main activities. We source a broad array of 
procurements from construction services to scientific 
equipment to energy, to name a few. In line with the Senate 
Order for Entity Contracts, CSIRO is required to publish 
biannually on its website a list of all current contracts with 
a value of $100,000 or more.18 We also publish an Annual 
Procurement Plan (APP)19 on AusTender, which provides 
information on significant procurements that CSIRO plans 
to undertake over the coming 12 months. The APP includes 
a strategic procurement outlook statement that broadly sets 
out any key major or strategic initiatives from which CSIRO 
expects procurements to arise. 

Our top categories, by percentage of total spend 
for the 2022/2023 financial year, include: 

• research supplies and consumables
• contractors - temporary positions and 
research and development personnel
• computing/IT costs
• repairs and maintenance
• utilities
• advertising and promotions
• insurance
• operating leases
• library costs
• office supplies and printing.


For our invoiced spend, the vast majority of our direct 
(tier 1) suppliers are Australian businesses. At present we 
do not compulsorily collect the country of origin for our 
goods purchased, however we are working to improve 
the collection of supply chain data.20 We aim to improve 
our understanding of geographic risks as we develop 
more comprehensive systems to improve transparency 
and monitor risk in our supply chains. Further information 
about our supply chains is described later in this statement. 

18 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Corporate-governance/Access-to-information/Contracts

19 https://www.tenders.gov.au/App/Show/4FDC9EA2-9DD7-B623-2CE6-67947907F0F0?ppId=&btnsubmit=View+Annual+Procurement+Plan

20 This spend analysis excludes credit card spend, which are all low value purchases made by CSIRO personnel to support research activities.

FemaleMale Gender diverse
.%.%
.%
Indenite full timeCasualIndenite part time 
Term part timeTerm full term
%
%
%
%
%
%

Assessing and addressing 
risk in our operations and 
supply chains 

Our risk assessment methodology

Our approach to risk assessment reflects that 
modern slavery risk is risk to people, not entity or 
business risk, although these may intersect. 

The risk assessment methodology continues 
to include the following steps:

• quantitatively analyse our spend data for both 
operations and supply chain,21 which considers 
risk based on category, industry, geography, and 
potential intersections with vulnerable people22
• qualitatively reviewing the nature of our 
operational activities for exposure to worker 
vulnerability and industries exposed to 
modern slavery risk in each geography 
• conducting internal stakeholder interviews to 
validate findings and check for any additional 
information not found in spend or public data
• consideration of CSIRO’s proximity to impact according 
to the cause, contribute, or linked framework set out by 
the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights 
(UNGPs) continuum of involvement23. This considers 
the nature of the relationship and degree of influence, 
to determine the extent of potential involvement. 


Modern slavery risk in 
our operations 

This section details content to partially 
satisfy mandatory criteria 1(c) and 
1(d) under section 16 of the Act. 
This includes description of risks of 
modern slavery practices specific to 
CSIRO’s operations which includes 
services conducted at our sites, and 
the actions taken by CSIRO to assess 
and address these risks including due 
diligence and remediation processes. 

The most salient areas of operational risk 
identified continue to include:

• operations and maintenance of the RV Investigator24
• contracted services such as repairs, maintenance, 
labour hire and outsourced publishing design services
• construction services
• on-site cleaning services
• offshore activities in higher risk geographies 
such as Vietnam and Chile.25


21 This spend data was from FY22/23 and is considered reflective of our regular spend and risk profile across the entire Reporting Period

22 This approach is based on best practice according to the Commonwealth Guidance for Reporting Entities. Research sources for these risk factors includes: 
The International Trade Union Confederation Global Rights Index, The Walk Free Foundation Global Slavery Index, ILO Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: 
Forced labour and forced marriage, The US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, The US Department of Labor List of Goods Produced using 
Child Labour or Forced Labour, and the Verite Research in 43 Commodities Worldwide. 
This analysis is quantitative as each data source have been combined as a centralised dataset to compare our areas of spend to known likelihood in each area 
of risk.

23 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf

24 The RV Investigator has been highlighted due to risk exposures in seafaring and maritime industries according to the risk sources listed above. 

25 This includes research in agriculture and fisheries where risks may be in partner and collaborator value-chains.

10 CSIRO Modern Slavery Statement 2022



These are areas where our operational activities 
may potentially be linked to, or contribute to 
a risk of modern slavery, per the UN Guiding 
Principles continuum of involvement. We have 
therefore prioritised these areas for risk mitigation, 
considering our leverage and ability to influence. 

Our risk assessment determined that our research 
activities and direct employees are considered low risk 
for modern slavery. This is due to our strict onboarding 
and recruitment requirements, relatively low geographic 
risks,26 and a high barrier to entry as most of our people 
are highly trained and specialised. In addition, CSIRO 
undertakes a range of actions to ensure compliance 
with relevant workforce laws and to protect our 
people, including those involved in our research. 

Our policies include: 

• The Ethical Human Research Policy27 which states our 
commitment to upholding the rights of all people 
involved in our research as subjects and participants. 
• The Child Safe Policy28 which states our 
commitment to the safety and wellbeing of 
children and young people involved in our 
activities, research and education programs.
• The CSIRO Code of Conduct29, People Policy30, 
and Health, Safety and Environment Policy31 all 
state commitments to the provision of a safe work 
environment where our people are treated in a safe 
and equitable manner with respect and integrity. 
• As a Commonwealth entity, all of our people are covered 
by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 201332 (PID Act) 
which outlines protection from reprisal should they 
wish to raise concerns as a whistle-blower. The PID Act 
provides a legislative basis for the CSIRO Public Interest 
Disclosure Scheme33 and associated protections.


For our contracted services for repairs and maintenance, 
CSIRO’s robust induction and contractual requirements 
and conditions in relation to personnel also serve to lower 
residual risks.34 These controls include police checks, 
temporary monitored access to sites, transparency of 
rates for technical disciplines and disclosure of cleaning 
staff wages for cleaning contractors. In addition, as 
our facilities and resources include highly specialised 
equipment, maintenance and servicing requires skilled 
contractors. Modern slavery risks are often heightened for 
low-skilled workers. However, given that we use skilled 
contractors, our inherent risks are considered lower.

Risks associated with the Research vessel 
(RV) Investigator

Seafaring and maritime industries carry an increased 
risk of modern slavery. However, during the risk 
assessment process we were able to determine 
that the residual risks associated with the RV 
Investigator are low due to the following factors:

• CSIRO owns the RV Investigator and manages 
the recruitment and contracts of all people 
working on the ship. We contract an external 
provider for the day-to-day management of ship 
operations under strict contract requirements.
• Union representation of crew members 
is at or close to 100%.
• The RV Investigator utilises strict quarantining 
processes for crew safety and cannot onboard 
unregistered or guest passengers for safety reasons.


Due to these factors, we consider the operation 
of the RV Investigator to have lower residual 
risks than the seafaring industry at-large.

26 Australia is ranked with relatively low risks on most external modern slavery risk indices such as the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and 
Trafficking in Persons Report. 

27 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Policies/Ethical-human-research

28 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Policies/Child-Safe-Policy 

29 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Policies/Code-of-Conduct

30 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Policies/People-Policy

31 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Policies/Health-Safety-and-Environment-Policy

32 https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2013A00133

33 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Corporate-governance/Access-to-information/Public-Interest-Disclosure-Scheme

34 Residual risks are the risks remaining when controls are taken into account.



Cleaning services

Our facilities management and contracting 
team continue to review the basic costing and 
expectations for site services contracts considering 
known risks and vulnerabilities in the cleaning 
sector. As a result, improved mechanisms for 
transparency of sub-contractor payments have 
been included in new procurement contracts.

Further review and assessment will include:

• addressing possible risks associated with 
the maintenance of the RV Investigator 
during port and maintenance schedules
• review of outsourced offshore services 
such as design services for publishing
• review of construction contracts and activities to 
determine worker vulnerabilities and protections
• review of offshore research activities 
in higher-risk geographies.



12 CSIRO Modern Slavery Statement 2023



Modern slavery risk in 
our supply chain

This section details content to partially 
satisfy mandatory criteria 1(c) and 1(d) 
under section 16 of the Act. This includes 
description of risks of modern slavery 
practices specific to CSIRO’s supply chains 
and the actions taken by CSIRO to assess 
and address these risks, including due 
diligence and remediation processes. 

Applying the risk assessment methodology, the most salient 
purchasing categories for modern slavery risk include:

• laboratory supplies
• materials supplies and services
• computer hardware and other computer materials
• health safety environment items
• agricultural supplies.


The risks associated with the above purchasing categories 
are largely driven by risks in the manufacturing industry, 
which is estimated by the International Labour Organisation 
to account for 15% of all victims of forced labour.35 
Geographic differences between these risks has not yet 
been calculated due to a lack of data. CSIRO will continue to 
monitor risks where data is available for assessment.

Although CSIRO has likely not caused or contributed to these 
risks, according to the UNGP framework we acknowledge that 
we have direct linkage through our business relationships 
and will therefore aim to use our leverage where possible to 
mitigate these risks. 

We are largely addressing these risks through the 
establishment of our SPIP. 

Responsible and ethical procurement 

This year we continued to implement the actions and 
initiatives set out in our Sustainable Procurement 
Implementation Plan (SPIP). The SPIP is a three-stage 
process over several years, transitioning from risk 
mitigation through to a shared value approach. 

The aim of the SPIP is to establish foundational and ongoing 
frameworks for us to assess and address environmental 
and social risks in our supply chain, such as greenhouse 
gas emissions, waste and modern slavery risk. 

Over the reporting period we substantially 
progressed the first phase of the SPIP largely 
comprising risk mitigation activities, including:

• consistent monthly meetings of the Sustainable 
Procurement Working Group (SPWG) to drive SPIP actions
• identifying sustainability-related risks and opportunities
• assessing and defining higher-risk procurements 
through development of a sustainability impact matrix
• development of a draft sustainable purchasing tool
• development of draft principles for responsible business
• an independent review of modern slavery 
risks in our operations and supply chain 
• development of modern slavery training 
materials and workshops
• engagement across the organisation 
on broader human rights issues
• a review of available grievance mechanisms.


35 ILO Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage.



Addressing modern slavery

We monitor the effectiveness of our modern slavery 
approach and are committed to continuous improvement. 
To measure the effectiveness of our actions, we 
continue to track our progress in our modern slavery 
statements. Through the modern slavery risk assessment 
conducted in financial year 2022-23, we identified gaps 
in understanding which informed the development of 
training materials for our workforce. Over the reporting 
period we conducted several face-to-face workshops for 
people working in areas of higher risk and developed 
online training materials for the wider workforce.

Raising concerns 

We have implemented internal procedures to comply 
with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) (PID Act) 
through a Public Interest Disclosure Scheme (the PID 
Scheme)36[1]. The PID Scheme promotes integrity and 
accountability by encouraging the disclosure of information 
about suspected wrongdoing, protecting people who make 
disclosures and ensuring we take appropriate action. 

There are a number of other mechanisms within CSIRO 
to raise concerns. These include emails and contact 
lines, a centralised case management team, the Ethics 
and Integrity Team and Research Integrity Advisors. 
For non-PID matters, the recently launched SpeakUp@
CSIRO platform provides a simple clear pathway to report 
concerns, allowing individuals to remain anonymous and 
to only be identified if they choose to be. The platform acts 
as a triage point and refers matters to the most appropriate 
teams to investigate, resolve or manage, and allows 
for consolidated reporting and monitoring of matters. 
SpeakUp@CSIRO was launched to create a safer CSIRO 
for everyone and to ensure that there are safe and 
trusted avenues, in addition to the already established 
pathways for our people and external stakeholders 
to speak-up on issues that are of concern to them. 

During the reporting year, we also undertook 
an independent review of our current grievance 
mechanisms aligning with guidance of the UN Guiding 
Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). 

36 [1] https://www.csiro.au/en/about/Corporate-governance/Access-to-information/Public-Interest-Disclosure-Scheme



Asessing the effectiveness of 
our actions

This section details content to satisfy mandatory criteria 1(e) under section 16 of the 
Act. This includes how CSIRO assesses the effectiveness of actions taken to assess and 
address risks. 

We monitor the effectiveness of our modern slavery 
approach and are committed to continuous improvement. 
To measure the effectiveness of our actions, we track our 
progress against the commitments and activities set out in 
Table 2. 

This includes previous, updated, or newly established 
commitments, with comments and progress noted against 
each. As our approach matures, we aim to further refine our 
systems and processes to continually improve outcomes. 

Table 2: Table of commitments

COMMITMENT

STATUS

COMMENT

Governance controls

Explore opportunities for the development of a 
CSIRO Corporate Social Responsibility Statement 
or other relevant policy changes to frame modern 
slavery across the whole of business.

Our original commitment was to develop a corporate social 
responsibility statement. However, to reflect UNGP best practice, 
we have now drafted a policy position focusing on human rights 
which is currently in final stages of review.

Review existing grievance mechanisms considering 
UNGP guidance.

CSIRO recently launched the SpeakUp@CSIRO platform which 
provides a simple clear pathway to report concerns. 

Establish a Sustainable Procurement Working 
Group with oversight of modern slavery risks 
within our goods and services contracts.

The working group will continue to monitor progress of the SPIP 
and review any relevant modern slavery activities.

Define responsibilities for ongoing review of 
modern slavery risks and actions.

CSIRO leadership will confirm ongoing internal responsibilities for 
assessing and addressing modern slavery.

Review and update contract and Purchase Order 
templates to include environmental, social and 
governance (ESG) requirements as required. 

This has been implemented as part of the SPIP however will 
continue to be reviewed and amended as required.

Risk assessment

Conduct a modern slavery risk assessment for 
CSIRO operations and supply chain. 

This commitment has been amended from the FY20 commitment 
to “Assess our third-party arrangements contained within revenue 
contracts.”

Define the review schedule for modern slavery 
risk assessments across our operations and supply 
chains.

CSIRO leadership will review the results of the risk assessments 
and determine the ongoing period for risk assessment. 

Training

Training relevant workforce in our responsibilities 
and requirements to comply with the Act.

Training may include general awareness raising or be related to 
specific areas of responsibility





In progress

Completed

New

Planned








COMMITMENT

STATUS

COMMENT

Monitoring and mitigation

Review our sustainable procurement capabilities 
and develop an action plan for integrating modern 
slavery risk into procurement processes by the end 
of FY2021.

Independent expertise was sought to assess our sustainable 
procurement capabilities (ISO20400) and guide the SPIP in FY21.

Define ‘risk’ clearly within the procurement 
standard and ensure procurers are aware of the 
products and services that constitute ‘high risk’ 
procurements. 

Modern slavery risk is being embedded based on the results of the 
modern slavery risk assessment, through the Sustainability Impact 
Matrix Tool.

Update procurement procedures, processes and 
standards as required to promote continuous 
improvement.

This commitment is ongoing through the SPIP.

Develop a Supplier Code of Conduct to 
communicate and guide expectations for ethical 
conduct and sustainability.

The Supplier Code of Conduct has been drafted and is undergoing 
final stages of consultation.

Set sustainable procurement targets for areas of 
modern slavery risk.

As part of the SPIP, where possible, these targets will be specific, 
measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time based.

Consultation

Engage independent expertise to assist with the 
SPIP and modern slavery risk assessment.

Independent experts were engaged to review CSIRO’s internal 
processes including human rights and modern slavery governance, 
conduct risk assessments, and assess viability of grievance 
mechanisms.

Define an ongoing consultation framework to 
utilise for ongoing statement preparation.

This process has been defined to guide consultation for risk 
assessment and statement preparation in ongoing reporting years. 
Key internal stakeholders have been identified for this Statement 
and will be reviewed for future statements. 

Disclosure

Ensure that the next Modern Slavery Statement 
addresses all mandatory criteria as set out in 
the Act.

The mandatory criteria have been included and are referenced in 
the Mandatory Criteria Index. 

Develop measures to assess the effectiveness of 
actions and update as required. 

Effectiveness will be assessed through the goals and milestones 
set out in the SPIP, in this Table of commitments, and annual 
progress reports.

Review year on year commitments, annual 
progress report to the Board and publicly report on 
progress made.

This ongoing commitment will be actioned each year during the 
drafting, review and publication of our Modern Slavery Statement.





In progress

Completed

New

Planned








Mandatory Critera Index

The table below details the page number and section of this Statement that addresses 
each of the mandatory criteria in section 16 of the Act.

MANDATORY CRITERIA 1

CONTENT LOCATION

PAGE

Identify the reporting entity

Our organisation

Page numbers to be inserted 
post-design

Describe the reporting entity’s structure, operations 
and supply chains

Our organisation

Describe the risks of modern slavery practices in the 
operations and supply chains of the reporting entity 
and any entities it owns or controls

Assessing and addressing operations 
risk 

Assessing and addressing supply 
chain risk

Describe the actions taken by the reporting entity 
and any entities it owns or controls to assess and 
address these risks, including due diligence and 
remediation processes

Assessing and addressing operations 
risk

Assessing and addressing supply 
chain risk

Describe how the reporting entity assesses the 
effectiveness of these actions

Assessing the effectiveness of our 
actions

Describe the process of consultation on the 
development of the Statement with any entities the 
reporting entity owns or controls

Consultation in the development of 
the Statement

Any other information that the reporting entity, or the 
entity giving the Statement, considers relevant

n/a







As Australia’s national science agency, 
CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges 
through innovative science and technology.

CSIRO. Creating a better future 
for everyone.

Contact us

1300 363 400
+61 3 9545 2176
csiro.au/contact


For further information

CSIRO Finance
procurement@csiro.au