TFH Ethical Business Services

22/10/2026

Here is an excellent speech/article from
President of The Australian Human Rights Commission.

“People who have migrated to Australia over the generations – who have chosen to build a life here and call this place home – have made enormous contributions. Migration has made Australia stronger, socially and economically. It has fuelled our success. It is a core part of who we are.”

Read it here: https://humanrights.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/articles/president-hugh-de-kretser/presidents-message-october-2026?

Belonging: Migration and Human Rights in Australia - edited extract of a speech delivered to Migration Institute of Australia conference 1 October.

22/10/2026

Not all relationships should be partnerships.

I have learnt this the slow way.

In charity and business, relationships are everywhere. Some people cheer you on, others help with a project, and a few may become true partners.

But a partnership is different.

Partnership puts your name next to someone else’s. That can be powerful. It can also be risky.

The mistake I have made in the past is believing shared language means shared values.

It doesn’t.

A company can talk about purpose, ethics, sustainability, and human rights, yet their choices behind closed doors may tell another story. I have learnt to watch what people do over time, not only what they say in the first few meetings.

It is a bit like dating.

At first, everyone is on their best behaviour. Then pressure arrives. Money gets tight. A problem appears. That is when you see whether integrity is real.

The same is true in life.

Who you spend time with shapes who you become and what you accept. In business, the brands and leaders you stand beside speak loudly about what your own company values mean in practice.

At The Freedom Hub, we love working with others. We need businesses, councils, community groups, and people with generous skills to help end modern slavery in Australia.

Still, collaboration is not the same as partnership.

You can collaborate on a project without joining your brands too closely. A small change I now practise is to slow the process down before using the word partner.

We ask better questions and look for actions, not promises. We also put clear clauses and NDA’s in place to help protect the work, the survivors we serve, and the trust people have placed in us.

Maybe “collaborate before you integrate” is the line.

Or maybe it is simpler than that.

I would say just walk together for a while before you put your names on the same page publicly.

That pause can have a big effect.

Have you ever said no to a partnership because the values did not match the actions? I would love to hear what you learnt.

Please share this with a business friend who protects their brand with care.

Link in comments for The Freedom Hub’s ethical business work.

21/10/2026

Australia’s anti-slavery watchdog has warned that the Albanese government’s proposed crackdown on forced labour does not go far enough.

Read the full SMH story here:

Under current laws, Australian companies must disclose modern slavery risks but have no duty to fix them – a gap the commissioner says must be closed.

20/10/2026

Mental health is part of freedom.

Sarah represented The Freedom Hub at the Wayahead Mental Health Matters Awards, and we are so grateful to have her standing in this space.

When we talk about modern slavery, people often think first about rescue, law, supply chains, or compliance. These all matter. But for survivors, freedom is also about healing and recovering from the trauma.

It is about feeling safe in your own body again and rebuilding trust.
Importantly it being able to imagine a future and learning that your voice matters.

At The Freedom Hub, we walk alongside survivors long after crisis. Our Survivor School supports women as they recover, rebuild, and take their next steps toward independence, confidence, and employment.

Mental health support is not an “extra” in this work. It is central.

People are not paperwork. They are whole human beings with stories, courage, trauma, hopes, and strengths.

Thank you Sarah for representing The Freedom Hub so beautifully, and thank you to Wayahead for creating space to recognise the importance of mental health in our communities.

When we care for mental health, we help make freedom possible.

19/10/2026

People can be harmed in the gaps between good systems.

Last week our Ethical Business Team attended the 33rd Kingsley Laffer Memorial Lecture at The University of Sydney Business School, where Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans spoke on forced labour risks in a changing global economy.

For many business leaders, this is the hard part. You may have policies, supplier forms, contracts and a Modern Slavery Statement, but still feel unsure about what is really happening across labour hire, contractors, recruitment pathways, offshore suppliers or business partners.

Chris Evans put it plainly in his post after the lecture:

“Exploitation grows in the gaps.”

That line stayed with us.

At The Freedom Hub, we have learned this through walking alongside survivors. People are not statistics. Forced labour rarely begins with something dramatic that is easy to see. It can begin with underpayment, unsafe conditions, debt, fear, isolation, or a worker who does not feel safe enough to speak.

The lecture focused on why Australia needs stronger worker protections, stronger due diligence, and better connection between workplace laws and modern slavery responses. The event page noted that Chris Evans’ reform agenda is focused on strengthening protections for workers most vulnerable to exploitation, both in Australia and across global supply chains.

This is important if your are in business.

Compliance is only the starting point.
- Businesses that understand forced labour can ask better questions.
- Leader who understand it can spot warning signs earlier.
- Procurement teams that understand it can see beyond price, paperwork and promises.

Our Ethical Business Team will help your business take the first practical steps, with survivor-informed training, risk reviews, supplier questions and clearer pathways for action.

If you need help knowing where to begin or want to increase your current response…..

Contact our Ethical Business Team for a free chat:
[email protected]

You can also find out more about our work on our website:
https://thefreedomhub.org/ethical-business

17/10/2026

The deadline has passed, but the harm has not.

Today, 18 October, is UK Anti-Slavery Day. For many Australian leaders, it may feel like a UK moment, not an Australian one. But as a Commonwealth country, and as businesses trading across global supply chains, we cannot look away.

SDG Target 8.7 committed States to take immediate and effective action to eradicate forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour in all its forms by 2025.

That deadline has now passed unmet.

In 2024, nearly 138 million children were still in child labour, with around 54 million of them doing hazardous work. To eliminate child labour by 2030, progress would need to accelerate elevenfold. An estimated 50 million people were living in forced labour or forced marriage on any given day in 2021.

People are not statistics.

They are children missing school.
Women trapped in forced marriage.
Workers under threat.
Families with no safe way out.

The Commonwealth is not exempt. Around one in every 150 people in the Commonwealth is estimated to be living in forced labour, forced marriage, or human trafficking.

As Vice Chair of the 8.7 Network, this matters deeply to me.

At The Freedom Hub, we have learned through walking alongside survivors that change does not happen through statements alone. It happens when governments, businesses, civil society, and survivor-informed organisations are willing to ask better questions, act earlier, and keep people at the centre.

Compliance is only the starting point.

Real change begins when we focus on the risk to people, not only the words in a policy or statement.

The 8.7 Network Secretariat will be issuing a statement at CHOGM, and I will share it once finalised.

For now, UK Anti-Slavery Day is a timely reminder for all of us in the Commonwealth.

The deadline may have passed.
Our responsibility has not.

Save this for your next board, ESG, procurement, or leadership discussion. These are not distant issues. They are human rights issues sitting inside the systems we all influence.

15/10/2026

If a shoe factory fire killed 28 people in Australia due to poor safety conditions, would you keep buying that brand?

That is exactly what happened in China with brands we buy online. We all need to think very hard about buying overseas brands and do all we can to buy local or we can simply ‘google’ the ethical standards of brands before pushing the cart button.

Read the China story here:
https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/china-28-dead-from-fire-at-factory-linked-to-jd-sports-fashion-and-slazenger-bureau-veritas-audit-allegedly-failed-to-identify-safety-concerns/

15/10/2026

Here is something I have learnt that I want to share with you.

In business, charity, and life, success is often shaped more by what you say NO to than what you say YES to.

Every yes carries a cost.

The cost might be our focus or it might be the team’s energy. Sometimes it is our mission getting watered down because the opportunity looked too good to refuse.

During 14 years of building The Freedom Hub I have learnt that good ideas can still be wrong for right now.

Most people think growth comes from saying yes to more. Saying no has often protected us.

At times, we have had to say no to opportunities that looked helpful, (even with potentially great revenue) on paper because they would have pulled us away from our purpose, to end modern slavery in Australia and help survivors recover and rebuild. Working against your purpose gets tiring and you lose your energy and team culture quickly.

Some invitations felt very exciting. That is sooo hard to resist when you are an entrepreneur. Others came with funding attached. Which is hugely tempting.

Say ing no were hard decisions.

Research backs this. Michael Porter wrote in Harvard Business Review that the heart of strategy is choosing what not to do. I have found that to be true in a very human way.

For charities, the wrong yes can stretch people thin. For businesses, it can confuse customers and staff. In life, it can quietly steal the space you need for the work you are really called to do.

A small change I now practise is pausing before I say yes.

No has become a word I use with care, not guilt.

When I say no to the wrong thing, I am really saying yes to survivors, to ethical business, and to the long work of ending modern slavery.

Maybe that is the big effect.

Choose one thing this week that deserves a thoughtful no.

I always ask myself, “Will this take me closer to the work I am here to do?”

Have you got one thing you have said no to that helped you protect your purpose? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and please share this with a friend who might need permission to say no.

Learn more about ethical business and human rights at The Freedom Hub with the link in comments.

You can also subscribe to our updates either weekly or monthly - you choose.
https://thefreedomhub.org/contact-us

14/10/2026

Food workers are the "most exploited in the world" finds report exploring systemic abuse throughout global food chains.

The report describes the food industry as the largest employer and most abusive sector worldwide, wherein workers face widespread violations including impoverishment, wage theft, forced and child labour, human trafficking, discrimination, and sexual violence.

The report also details how this abuse is systemic, enabled and exacerbated by structural features of food systems including unfair employment practices, informal work, the denial of job security, and a lack of basic government protections or enforcement.

The Freedom Hub supports workers who have escaped their situation in Australia, and helps them rebuild their life and study for sustainable and stable work. By supporting us you support them! THANKYOU 💜

You can also help by choosing carefully what you buy in the supermarket and what local cafe or business you support.

Read the full story by here:
https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/new-report-by-ipes-food-documents-exploitation-of-food-workers-worldwide/

13/10/2026

Measure what changes, not just what is purchased.

A branded gift box, a catered team lunch, or a new supplier agreement can look like a small business decision. But every purchasing decision sends money, influence, and expectations through a chain of people.

Ethical business partnerships Australia-wide allow organisations to make those decisions count not only for reputation, but for the people whose work often remains hidden behind goods and services.

Our latest article takes a deeper dive into how you can develop partnerships that benefit your company, your customers, your employees and your impact.

Read the article. Link in comments.

Build ethical business partnerships Australia can trust, with practical ways to address modern slavery risk and create meaningful survivor impact today.