Modern Slavery

Modern Slavery Policy

1. Purpose:

newsXpress Pty Ltd is committed to identifying and mitigating the risk of modern slavery occurring within its own businesses. This policy seeks to ensure newsXpress is compliant with laws in the areas in which sources product and operate in accordance with legal obligations. It also seeks to prevent engagement with any supplier engaged in modern slavery.

2. Modern Slavery:

According to Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018, the types of modern slavery are:

a) Trafficking in persons describes the recruitment, harbouring and movement of a person for exploitation through modern slavery.

b) Slavery Describes situations where the offender exercises powers of ownership over the victim, including the power to make a person an object of purchase and use their labour in an unrestricted way.

c) Servitude Describes situations where the victim's personal freedom is significantly restricted, and they are not free to stop working or leave their place of work.

d) Forced labour Describes situations where the victim is either not free to stop working or not free to leave their place of work.

e) Forced marriage Describes situations where coercion, threats or deception are used to make a victim marry or where the victim does not understand or is incapable of understanding the nature and effect of the marriage ceremony.

f) Debt bondage Describes situations where the victim’s services are pledged as security for a debt and the debt is manifestly excessive or the victim's services are not applied to liquidate the debt, or the length and nature of the services are not limited and defined.

g) The worst forms of child labour Describes situations where children are exploited through slavery or similar practices, including for sexual exploitation, or engaged in hazardous work which may harm their health, safety, or morals or used to produce or traffic drugs.

3. Policy application:

This policy applies to all newsXpress employees and any other parties over which we have the ability to exert of guide such control.

The policy is offered to newsXpress members, people who own businesses that buy from newsXpress preferred suppliers.

4. Policy Statement:

a) newsXpress has zero tolerance of modern slavery in its operations and supply chain.

b) newsXpress will comply with all applicable modern slavery laws in Australia and all other jurisdictions in which it does business.

c) newsXpress employees and others to whom the policy applies, must follow policies and procedures to ensure that they are addressing modern slavery sourcing risks in its operations and supply chains.

d) Zero tolerance approach towards modern slavery is to be included in supplier contract terms, requirements that suppliers comply with all local, national, and other applicable laws and regulations in the areas in which they operate.

e) Any identified case of modern slavery should be immediately reported to newsXpress.

f) In case the act of modern slavery was deliberately hidden from newsXpress and supplier was found to have full knowledge of it, newsXpress has the right to terminate business with the supplier.

5. Relevant Policies:

We operate the following policies that describe our approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our operations.

a) Employee management - We have zero tolerance of any threat of physical or sexual violence, harassment, or intimidation against employees and their family, or close associates. All our employees are treated fairly and equally and are paid at least the national minimum wage. Our employees are not be forced to work more than the number of hours permitted in law.

b) Supplier code of conduct and purchasing policy – newsXpress is committed to conducting purchasing activities in a fair, objective, and transparent manner that satisfies the requirements of accountability and internal controls to fulfil legal and financial obligations and effectively manages commercial risk. Emphasis is placed on selecting suppliers that comply with laws and regulations, respect for human rights, labour working conditions, equal opportunities, health and safety accreditation and acceptable corporate ethics.

6. Due Diligence:

We undertake due diligence when considering taking on new suppliers and review our existing suppliers on a periodic basis.

We rely on our suppliers to undertake their own due diligence through their supply chain and to advise of any possible concern in relation to Modern Slavery.