Queensland's state forensic services laboratory has repeated a critical DNA testing error that was previously described as 'one of the greatest failures of a justice system in the world', according to a damning review released on Monday. The error affects evidence in thousands of criminal cases, including rapes and murders.
The review, conducted by forensic scientist Professor Kirsty Wright and former FBI expert Dr Bruce Budowle, found that a new DNA threshold introduced in November 2023 was again incorrect. A sample from a violent unresolved crime was not fully tested because it fell below the threshold, despite being classified as a Priority 1 case—the most urgent. When police requested full testing, it yielded a usable DNA profile that assisted the investigation.
Professor Wright said the lab had repeatedly detected unacceptable levels of contamination but failed to resolve the issue, presenting unreliable DNA evidence to police and courts since October 2023. 'They were processing crime scene samples in a dirty lab. They knew this. There was evidence of this for at least a year and a half,' she stated.
The review also revealed that 511 rape kits remain untested as of September 2024, with hundreds of victims waiting over 12 months for results—a process that should be completed within five days. The median turnaround time for major crime samples was 412 days, despite a reduction in evidence submitted by police. Clearing the backlog of 32,000 historical cases requiring retesting would take ten years.
The report criticised Forensic Services Queensland for interfering in police efforts to outsource testing of 15 urgent rape kits, delaying results by at least three months. It recommended the lab immediately stop testing all rape kits due to reliability concerns and suggested outsourcing most forensic testing for at least two years. The state government has announced a £50 million investment in outsourcing and appointed former New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller to lead an overhaul.
