Investigators need to rely less on testimony and more on following money trails if modern slavery convictions are to improve.
A report from the Australian Institute of Criminology, commissioned by the Anti-Slavery Commissioner, says just a handful of cases are proven through the justice system each year.
Only 41 people were convicted of modern slavery crimes in the two decades to 2025, with debt bondage, person trafficking and servitude among the toughest crimes to prove.
That includes five in the most recent financial year, when 420 crimes were reported, making for a success rate of just over one per cent.
The most common modern slavery allegation is forced marriage, with 118 reports according to the Australian Federal Police, followed by sexual servitude and exit trafficking.
