Transparency

At The Austin Group, ethical sourcing isn’t just a standard—it’s a fundamental commitment that guides every decision we make. As a family-owned business, we take pride in cultivating a high-quality, responsible supply chain, treating our manufacturers as valued partners and an extension of our family.

Letter from CEO

Following our First Modern Slavery statement submitted in the reporting year 2022-23, we have worked across our operations to encourage team members to identify and address the risks of Modern Slavery in practical ways.

 This includes rolling out Modern Slavery training to all product-facing teams and introducing a supplier code of conduct for our Australian-based suppliers.

 We have continued to work closely with our offshore supply chain to address inconsistencies in our annual audit reports in addition to beginning work with our non-apparel and accessories suppliers to understand better the procurement of items such as visual merchandising materials and equipment, as well as undertaken a further review of local service providers.

We have recently brought our warehousing operations back in-house, providing us with an opportunity to better manage related services and transportation of our stock throughout the supply chain.

William Austin | CEO

Modern Slavery

Modern slavery is when others exploit an individual for personal or commercial gain. Whether tricked, coerced, or forced, they lose their freedom. This includes human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage (Anti-Slavery Australia).

The Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) came into force on 1 January 2019. The Act requires larger companies in Australia to report on how they are preventing and addressing modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.

The Austin Group takes its responsibilities towards eliminating Modern Slavery very seriously.

All suppliers must take reasonable steps to identify, assess, and address the risks of Modern Slavery practices in their operations and supply chains, which are used to provide Goods and/or Services to the group and its brands, Gazman, Cable Melbourne, and Perri Cutten.

We expect ALL our Suppliers to provide a safe, fair, ethical, and sustainable workplace for their employees, contractors, and supply chain partners free from modern slavery and that all applicable laws and regulations in each Territory or Country operated within will be fully complied with.

Responsible Purchase Training

Designed to complement our Modern Slavery training module, this has been developed specifically to support our Planning, Product, and Production teams in better understanding how their own commercial behaviours relate to potential risks in the supply chain.

A company's everyday purchasing practices have considerable influence on worker conditions and the potential for environmental impacts in its supply chains. Investing time and resources into reviewing and improving purchasing practices and building a partnership approach with suppliers can have significant benefits for businesses.

These include stable and reliable supply chains, better knowledge and understanding of the manufacturing processes, and the potential for efficiency gains through better communication, planning, and purchasing processes.

In Australia, companies have a responsibility to undertake human rights due diligence by assessing the risks of modern slavery at all points in the supply chain and then implementing corrective action as needed.

Our Responsible Purchasing Policy

Training

In late 2023 we implemented specific training for our teams to support awareness of modern slavery and encourage early identification of any risks across both our onshore and offshore suppliers.

Modern Slavery Training

The Modern Slavery course aims to raise awareness about modern slavery, educate on its various forms and indicators, and motivate organisations and individuals to take action to combat it.

The course has been developed in partnership with global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright Australia, and includes the following;

  • What is modern slavery?

  • Types of modern slavery.

  • Causes of modern slavery.

  • Modern slavery in Australia.

  • An overview of The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth Australia)

 This has been completed by all Support Office team members and is currently being rolled out to all Store Managers.

Procurement Policy and Conflict of Interest declaration

The Austin Group Procurement Policy has been developed to ensure that the procurement of goods and services is carried out in a fair, honest, and transparent manner, providing an equitable, competitive process for all parties.

All Austin Group employees or representatives are expected to act in the organisation's best interest, seek the best outcome for all parties, and protect the Austin Group's reputation and integrity. 

The Austin Group Conflict of Interest Policy addresses any risk or perceived risk that an employee could be influenced, by a personal interest in carrying out their duties when procuring goods or services on behalf of the Austin Group.

Our Conflict of Interest Policy

Employee Code of Conduct

The Austin Group Employee Code of Conduct has been specifically developed to mitigate any risks of ….

Supply Chain

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