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.
Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans said the number of allegations showed "the breadth and persistence of modern slavery in Australia".
These crimes are almost always (88 per cent) committed by men with almost always (87 per cent) female victims, while Victoria is Australia's most problematic jurisdiction, where 39 per cent of alleged offences occurred.Â
The report, which leans on both data and interviews, suggests that Australia's "central" reliance on testimony may prevent investigations being seen through.
"Victims and survivors may not wish to participate in a criminal justice process for a number of reasons, including not identifying themselves as victims, lacking trust in the criminal justice process, and viewing cooperation as inconsistent with their best interests," the report says.
That testimony can also be wrong "due to fear, memory issues related to trauma or a desire to protect themselves or family members" or concern over retaining their visas.
"We're far too reliant on victim testimony and the reality is we could be putting more effort into conducting investigations," one anonymised stakeholder, quoted in the report, said.
"We rely so significantly on victim testimonial in the investigation process [while in other countries] there is a much stronger focus on following the money trail and looking at other forms of digital evidence," another stated.
Among the report's four recommendations is an improvement on "victim-centred and trauma-informed practices" and a new forced marriage protection order.
19°C