The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) has released its draft framework for recommended corporate & financial institution disclosures on people-related impacts, risks, dependencies and opportunities. As a member of the TISFD Regional Council (Asia Pacific), Fiona shares an overview.
While rapid decarbonisation is critical, Australia’s climate transition currently has a human rights blind spot: modern slavery risk in critical mineral and renewable energy supply chains. To remedy this, Fiona David, Fair Futures Founder, and Shannon Hobbs examine the concept of 'Climate Justice' and how it must shape Australia’s national climate plans. Drawing on forensic data regarding solar and battery supply chains, this analysis explores why Australia must move beyond passing references to human rights to ensure the Just Transition to net zero is both rapid and fair.
The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) has released its draft framework for recommended corporate & financial institution disclosures on people-related impacts, risks, dependencies and opportunities. As a member of the TISFD Regional Council (Asia Pacific), Fiona shares an overview.
Organisations such as universities often view modern slavery as a supply chain issue, but there are also risks closer to home. This insight explores how training, active monitoring and cross-departmental coordination is needed to mitigate risks to international students.
Embedding lived experience requires more than consultation. Too often, organisations seek input after key decisions have already been made - limiting influence, reinforcing power imbalances and reducing lived experience to feedback rather than expertise. But meaningful inclusion demands a shift in mindset and structure.
This case study explores how our recent project on economic empowerment, 'Learning from Experience', was designed differently. Through survivor-led collaboration, fair remuneration, and trauma-aware systems, lived expertise shaped the project from the outset. The result was stronger evidence, deeper insight, and outcomes grounded in real-world experience.
Fair Futures worked with Deakin University to evaluate their existing modern slavery processes, and assess risks at their newly opened international campuses in India and Indonesia. This case study draws from Deakin's Modern Slavery Statement.
While rapid decarbonisation is critical, Australia’s climate transition currently has a human rights blind spot: modern slavery risk in critical mineral and renewable energy supply chains. To remedy this, Fiona David, Fair Futures Founder, and Shannon Hobbs examine the concept of 'Climate Justice' and how it must shape Australia’s national climate plans. Drawing on forensic data regarding solar and battery supply chains, this analysis explores why Australia must move beyond passing references to human rights to ensure the Just Transition to net zero is both rapid and fair.
A living wage is no longer a luxury; it is the foundational 'social equivalent to Net Zero' for responsible business. Aligning with the 2024 ILO definition, a living wage ensures workers and their families afford a decent standard of living during normal working hour - a benchmark that current statutory minimum wages fail to meet by 30% to 70%.
Drawing on industry leaders like Unilever and Fairphone, Fair Futures Founder Fiona David and Shannon Hobbs outline the ROI of living wages: reducing modern slavery risk, increasing supply chain resilience, and boosting worker productivity. By embedding living wages into the core of commercial operations, businesses can move beyond simple compliance towards true social sustainability.
Fiona David and Shannon Hobbs analyse the hidden human rights risks in the nickel and critical minerals industries. As the global race for renewables intensifies, this analysis warns that poor labour standards in the green transition risk repeating past industrial mistakes. Drawing on forensic insights into the nickel industry, the authors explain why embedding human rights into the just transition is a commercial and ethical necessity for businesses navigating the move to net zero. Originally published by the Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter
While Australia’s $1 billion SunShot Solar Program aims to boost domestic manufacturing, it also presents a critical opportunity to de-risk solar supply chains from state-imposed forced labour. Fair Futures Founder Fiona David and Shannon Hobbs outline three key design recommendations - from quartz extraction to mandatory human rights due diligence - to ensure Australia becomes a 'supplier of choice' for ESG-compliant solar technology. This analysis explores how building 'fair and green' supply chains can open doors to highly regulated markets in the US and EU.
As Western Australia invests $2.8 billion in the clean energy transition, the supply chains for solar and batteries remain highly exposed to forced labour. Drawing on extensive research, this article outlines the critical gaps in state government procurement policy and provides a strategic roadmap for a responsible transition - moving from 'tick-box' compliance to defensible, values-aligned investment.
Can Australia's new industrial agenda drive positive social change? Fiona David analyses the Future Made in Australia Act through a human rights lens, questioning if the Australian Prime Minister's principles go far enough to secure 'clean' supply chains. From quartz deposits to living wages, this insight reveals why Australia's comparative advantage lies in our environmental and labour standards. Explore three policy shifts required to align Australia’s manufacturing boom with global human rights benchmarks.
As Australia establishes its first Federal Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Fiona David and Sherry W explore the 'missing link' in current legislation: direct survivor engagement. Drawing on in-depth interviews with people with lived experience, this article outlines how the Commissioner can unify the fractured anti-slavery sector and break down barriers to support. Learn why survivor-led co-design is essential for building a trauma-informed national response that delivers genuine functional autonomy for victims.
Australian law does not currently recognise any right to a healthy environment. This could change, if reforms proposed by the Australian Human Rights Commission are accepted and given effect in law. In this insight, Tahlia McDonald explains why these proposed reforms matter to them, and why they should matter to you.
Australia's Human Rights system is under review by an Australian Federal Parliamentary Inquiry. The Inquiry is considering whether Australia needs a Human Rights Act, one model for which would include 28 rights, including the right to a healthy environment. What are the origins of the right to a healthy environment? How does Australia compare to other countries in this regard?
Is Australia’s legal framework ready for the net-zero race? As demand for critical minerals like cobalt and lithium skyrockets, Australia remains vulnerable to international supply chains deeply embedded with human rights risks. Fair Futures Founder Fiona David and Dr David Tickler argue that a rapid energy transition must not come at the cost of human rights. This analysis outlines three essential steps for Australia - including a national Human Rights Act and mandatory human rights due diligence - to bring the nation into line with global standards and ensure a truly just transition to a green economy.
Could Australia's laws on competition more clearly carve out space for pre-competitive collaboration between business on human rights issues? This insight is based on a longer 'work in progress' paper, seeking to map the policy frameworks needed to embed human rights into the sustainability agenda. Comments are welcome.
How do we move from being bogged down in detail to driving systems-level change? Fiona David, founding employee of Walk Free, reflects on a decade working with Andrew and Nicola Forrest to build the Global Slavery Index. From finding the middle ground that exists even between fierce opponents, to unblocking complex systems, this analysis shares three essential lessons for driving social impact in a corporate and philanthropic world.
