Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces inquiry into DNA labs

Annastacia Palaszczuk has spoken out against a flawed program in Queensland, which could have failed thousands of people.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced there will be an independent inquiry into state run DNA labs for crime victims after a former police employee labelled them “manifestly inadequate”.

In an announcement on Monday afternoon, the Premier said “fresh evidence came to light” from the police service which raised “questions about the conduct of the lab”.

“Fresh evidence came to light in terms of a further submission from the Queensland Police service that we saw last week,” she said.

“It is clear to me that nothing short of a full, open and rigorous commission of inquiry can restore confidence in DNA testing in this state.

“A commission of inquiry is a very big step; we don‘t have a lot of them.”

The review will be lead by Justice Walter Sofronoff, who has just finished his term as president of the Queensland courts of appeal.

The Honourable Justice Walter Sofronoff will commission the inquiry into DNA testing labs in Queensland. Picture: Liam Kidston

The commission will examine all aspects and operations of the lab and use independent experts and public inquires to conduct the review.

The terms of reference, including what cases and how far back they go, will be determined by Justice Sofronoff.

The announcement of the inquiry comes after submissions to Justice Margaret McMurdo of the Women’s Safety and Justice Task Force and the Queensland police showed the “concerns” were much “wider and more serious” than first anticipated.

The Premier said Queensland Health’s forensic and scientific services – which analyses 28,000 samples per year – found insufficient DNA could be discovered if there was further testing done.

Queensland Police are currently re-examining hundreds of sexual assault cases dating back to 2018 following the concerns.

Recent reports revealed 44 per cent of DNA detection tests conducted in Queensland labs for sex offences were declared inadequate.

More than 28,000 DNA tests are conducted annually in Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In a statement, a police spokesperson said the service had launched an ongoing review into sexual assault cases after a result was reported as “insufficient DNA for further processing”.

“From this review, there have been a number of samples identified for further processing which have already been resubmitted to Queensland Health,” the spokesperson said.

The government was further pressured to answer calls for an inquiry following a podcast series which claimed there were huge forensic DNA gaps in the investigation into the gruesome death of Queensland woman Shandee Blackburn.

The 23-year-old was brutally stabbed more than 20 times in a gutter as she walked home from her work in Mackay eight years ago.

She later died in hospital.

Shandee Blackburn was murdered eight years ago while she was walking home from work in Mackay. Picture: Supplied

Despite the ferociousness of the attack, there was no forensic DNA evidence which led to catching the offender.

The Premier announced the cold case will be reopened as she paid tribute to Ms Blackburn’s family, “who firmly believe Shandee had been denied justice”.

“We hope that this commission will allow the victims’ voices to be heard,” she said.

The terms of reference of the inquiry will be released later this week.

The state government will contribute six million dollars to fund the inquiry, which will be made public before the end of December.