As promised before the election, the LNP government has appointed Dr Kirsty Wright to lead the third review in three years.
Queensland’s troubled forensic testing system will undergo its third review in three years, this time headed up by Dr Kirsty Wright, the whistleblower who exposed the state-run DNA lab’s failures in the first place.
Dr Wright, who is currently working for the Australian Army, exposed critical failings with the forensic testing of samples in thousands of cases. That exposure led to two commissions of inquiry – one in 2022, led by former Queensland Court of Appeal president Walter Sofronoff, and one in 2023, led by former Federal Court judge Dr Annabelle Bennett.
In August this year the Labor state government announced an 11-member authority to oversee the state’s forensic testing, chaired by former District Court judge Julie Dick.
Dr Wright was left off that authority in a move criticised by many. Then premier Steven Miles claimed he was unaware she was interested in the role.
In his final report, Mr Sofronoff found problems at the lab may have been avoided if a forensic science advisory board had existed.
“Indeed, it is difficult to see how many of the mistakes dealt with in this report could have lain undetected for long if there had been such oversight,” he wrote.
Now the new Queensland government has appointed Dr Wright to oversee a review of the testing operations.
“We promised Queenslanders if elected we would immediately act to address Labor’s serious failings to deliver justice for victims of crime,” said attorney-general Deb Frecklington.
“Appointing Dr Wright in the first week since being sworn in should give Queenslanders faith I am committed to delivering the reform desperately needed.
“Dr Wright is not only an expert in her field, she is courageous and fearless with impeccable credentials.
“That makes her the best person to undertake this review, which is essential for ensuring justice is achieved in every case involving DNA evidence.
“Dr Wright led an international team of DNA specialists identifying Thai tsunami victims, was manager of the National DNA Database during a national expansion and has worked in academia for more than a decade.”
Back in September when the LNP promised to appoint her if elected, Dr Wright said she had felt the Labor government was “attacking the messenger” after she spoke out about the system.
“That’s certainly how I felt. Coming forward with these issues was an incredibly difficult thing for me to do,” she told the Brisbane Times.
“It came with enormous risks and sacrifices. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for victims of crime and for Queenslanders – and I’ve done for free.”
The 2023 commission of inquiry found that an automated extraction method yielded up to 92 per cent less DNA than the manual technique, leading to offenders escaping conviction over nine years.
It was recommended samples between 2007 and 2016 be reviewed, with up to 100,000 – including 400 alleged rape victims – set to be retested.
In September, then health minister Shannon Fentiman said 3500 prioritised cases had been dealt with since March.