Former New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller will lead a new Expert Team to overhaul forensic operations in Queensland.
The appointment follows damning reports into Forensic Science Queensland (FSQ).
State Attorney General Deb Frecklington said one report, by former FBI expert Dr Bruce Budowle, formed part of a major review assessing testing services and reforms at FSQ.
Attorney General Frecklington said Dr Budowle’s Review uncovered:
- A “troubling” amount of environmental contamination within the laboratory along with sample contamination that, once raised by the Review Team, led to a full pause in routine testing at FSQ.
- Calculation errors with kinship and paternity testing dating back several years.
- Evidence from police that FSQ’s significant delays and backlogs were having a considerable negative impact on active investigations and public safety.
- A workplace culture at FSQ that appeared to the Review Team to be “quite toxic” with management at all levels appearing to operate in a “reactive, crisis management mode”.
She said Dr Budowle’s Review was undertaken alongside a review by forensic biologist Dr Kirsty Wright, which looked at separate but related terms of reference.
“Dr Wright’s report made more damning findings about contamination, unreliable results, and testing delays that have had critical impacts on courts, police and victims awaiting justice.”
Attorney General Frecklington said the findings included that delays in reporting DNA results had grown since early 2023, with courts relying on DNA evidence now “at a point of critical system failure”.
She said Mr Fuller’s Expert Team would include Dr Budowle will Dr Wright.
“This review hasn’t just been about processes, it has also been about people, because every test that is run in a laboratory can mean a victim is a step closer to getting the justice they deserve.”
Attorney-General Frecklington said in addition to the Expert Team’s work, $50 million would be invested over two years to address the DNA backlog by outsourcing thousands of DNA samples for testing, as well as bolstering the capacity of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions with a $6 million investment.
Dr Budowle said the Review would help deliver the reform that forensic science needed in Queensland.
“There is a significant road ahead to address quality issues, clear the backlog of cases, and improve workplace culture,” he said.
“It was vital for these issues to be brought to light because forensic science is a critical part of any justice system that we must get right.”
