A guild of Catholic lawyers has spoken out about its dismay on the issue, concerned that the lack of movement may be put down to "big corporations and professional lobbyists" having an impact.

The Modern Slavery Act was passed unanimously by Parliament in 2018, however by 2019, it came to air that while it had not yet been proclaimed, and so was not enforceable.

When brought to the state government's attention, an Inquiry was launched in August last year to iron out any inconsistencies between the existing Commonwealth legislation and the new NSW equivalent.

President of the St Thomas More Society, Michael McAuley, said they wrote to the government to see action taken after the Inquiry since supported the act coming into effect in January 2021.

"The truth of the matter is, this legislation could have ascended within a couple of weeks, yet no one has been able to provide a reason for the fact it continues to be so delayed," he said.

Mr McAuley, a barrister and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Australia, said employees of a rural region like Wagga would feel the positive change brought on by the act.

"Anywhere there are temporary workers, people on visas and the like, there are vulnerabilities and exploitation," he said.

"Fruit-picking is definitely one of the big employers of this nature for sure, and abattoirs too.

"In places like Sydney, but I'm sure for Wagga as well, you have these so-called massage parlours and in many cases, they have staff working in semi-slavery conditions with control over personal freedoms like holding their passports."

The agricultural industry continues to be the Riverina's largest sector, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics recording more than 5200 agriculture businesses in the region as of 2015.

With hundreds of wineries, orange and apple orchards, fruit-picking is a growing and ongoing seasonal employment opportunity, often attracting backpackers and those on working visas.

The difference in the existing federal laws and the new Modern Slavery Act at a state level, according to Mr McAuley, would have a greater impact on those workers.

"The new act will capture companies with an annual turnover of more than $50 million to report their risk of slavery, as opposed to the federal's $100 million requirement, so it's a much broader sweep," he said.

"It will also appoint an anti-slavery commissioner to bring some force behind the administrative structure.

"For the corporations who don't file their returns, there will be penalties, whereas the federal system is based on trust and the assumption that everyone is a good man, but all my experience as a lawyer says that unless you have some kind of enforcement machinery, it won't work."

Mr McAuley added that the current federal legislation has appointed a more constricted administration of corporate entities as opposed to an ideal range of "community representatives, groups and individuals who have got high level qualifications in the area, and unions, religious bodies and ordinary people".

But Wagga itself was in good hands with an Independent Member of Parliament, according to the barrister.

"Joe McGirr is an important person in this regard because the NSW Parliament is so finely balanced, and he is clearly in favour of the modern slavery legislation being proclaimed to commence," Mr McAuley said.

"If the people of Wagga voted to put a Labor or Liberal member in, they'd have far less of an influence than an Independent because of other party restrictions and the broader opinion of who they represent.

"Joe has that sole choice to make - he's a maverick, and so will push for what he sees fit for Wagga, which in this case is the enactment of modern slavery legislation."

Dr McGirr said himself that the government "ought to get on with it", and confirmed he had written to them with the same query of delayed action.

A spokeswoman for Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government "is carefully considering the committee's recommendations".