The Albanese government is proposing tougher modern slavery laws after the US threatened to slap tariffs on countries, including Australia, that fail to stop forced labour in their supply chains.Under the proposal unveiled on Thursday, companies turning over $100m a year could face criminal charges if they fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains.Companies charged would need to prove “they took reasonable steps to prevent modern slavery” to defend themselves.“Australians rightly expect that the products they buy are not made on the back of modern slavery, which is why the Albanese government is delivering a legislative framework with teeth,” Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said.“The proposed changes will introduce greater accountability, levelling the playing field for the majority of Australian businesses already doing the right thing.“We will continue to work closely with stakeholders to inform the design of the proposed legislative changes, ensuring we strengthen efforts to combat modern slavery while continuing to support Australian businesses.”Australia was among 54 economies the Trump administration said had “failed” to take enough action to stop imported goods made with forced labour.It threatened an additional 12.5 per cent levy.“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said last month.“This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field.“We will no longer tolerate this disparity.”Mr Greer welcomed some countries taking “initial steps to prevent the importation of forced labor goods” but said that “each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labor globally”.Some 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery, according to the Global Slavery Index, with it most prevalent across electronics and clothesmaking hubs in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.Modern slavery, which includes forced labour, debt bondage, and slavery, is a crime under Australian law, even if it happens overseas.