In a significant moment for the Australian telecommunications sector, leaders came together at the Climate Tech Hub in Sydney’s Salesforce Tower to launch a new industry-wide initiative: the Telecommunications Industry Pathway to Respecting Human Rights and Addressing Modern Slavery Risks.
This important initiative was developed by the Telco Together Foundation in collaboration with Edge Impact and Telco Together members Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom, Aussie Broadband, and Superloop. The Pathway Handbook is a key outcome of the Foundation’s Human Rights and Modern Slavery Roundtable, an industry forum committed to identifying and progressing collective action to address modern slavery risks.
As an industry with wide-reaching influence, telecommunications play a critical role in respecting and protecting human rights. With that influence comes a shared responsibility to act. The Pathway Handbook sets out a practical and transparent framework for organisations across the sector to strengthen their human rights practices and uphold ethical and sustainable standards.
Designed as a practical resource, the handbook provides actionable steps for telco organisations and their suppliers. It outlines sector expectations, highlights common strengths and challenges, and offers tailored guidance based on the size and scale of organisations. The resource also includes checklists, tools, and case studies that demonstrate industry action already underway.
We are proud to share this resource as a collective commitment from our sector to embed respect for human rights across supply chains and operations. It reflects not only where we are today, but where we are going as a more accountable, transparent, and values-driven industry.
We would like to thank all those who contributed their expertise and leadership to this initiative, including Nicholas Dexter from Edge Impact, Shifra Symonds from Telstra, Daniel Ridsdale and Tonya Holst from Optus, Elizabeth Hamer from TPG Telecom, Cameron Foley from Aussie Broadband, Becky Johnson-Hoole from Superloop, and Carin Lavery from Telco Together.
The Pathway Handbook is now publicly available here. To learn more about the Foundation’s work in modern slavery, visit this page.
This launch marks an important step forward in building a responsible and sustainable telecommunications industry, one that prioritises people, purpose, and impact.
