Forensic lab’s latest failure

After years of catastrophic problems, revealed by The Australian’s Shandee’s Story podcast, Queensland’s forensic laboratory is undoubtedly overwhelmed in retesting a backlog of about 100,000 samples from more than 30,000 criminal cases dating back to 2007. But its management must do better at prioritising urgent tasks. As Sarah Elks and Michael McKenna reported on Saturday, the lab is taking months to formally identify and release the bodies of a couple killed in a plane crash in October, forcing their grieving son into financial distress and ­delaying his parents’ funeral.

Private pilots Alwyn, 73, and Jenny Rogash, 75, died on October 28 when their light plane crashed in dense, mountainous bushland west of Mackay, after taking off from Townsville. DNA forensic testing was ordered by the coroner before a death certificate could be issued. Their son, Bryan Rogash, wants his parents’ funeral to go ahead and to deal with his parents’ estate. He can do neither, however, without his parents’ remains or a death certificate. Mr Rogash, 38, is a military veteran who was injured during his RAAF service and is unable to work.

Authorities are relying on a sample of bone to formally identify the couple. But since December 2022, bone samples have not been able to be processed at the lab, forcing Forensic Services Queensland to send them to an Australian ­Federal Police testing centre ­interstate. Such poor service is not acceptable. The Miles government needs to intervene.