DNA expert Kirsty Wright will fight on despite snub

The scientist who exposed Queensland’s DNA lab disaster has been snubbed from the new authority tasked with overseeing forensic testing in the state.

Kirsty Wright. Picture: David Clark

The scientist who exposed Queensland’s DNA lab disaster has been left ouf of the new authority tasked with overseeing forensic testing in the state.

Forensic biologist Kirsty Wright, who uncovered disastrous testing practices at the ­government-run lab that compromised thousands of criminal cases and potentially allowed killers and rapists to escape justice, has been excluded from the new advisory board overseeing the lab.

In parliament on Wednesday, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath announced the 11-member council would be chaired by former District Court judge Julie Dick SC and include representatives from forensic services, law, policing and victim support.

The authority was a key recommendation of retired judge Walter Sofronoff in his 2022 commission of inquiry into the DNA testing debacle.

Mr Sofronoff’s inquiry was launched as a result of Dr Wright’s revelations on The Australian’s Shandee’s Story and Shandee’s Legacy podcasts, and prompted the state government to invest $200m to rebuild the lab.

Dr Wright said she was “obviously disappointed” her application to join the authority had been unsuccessful.

“I haven’t put a foot wrong so I am at a loss to understand what else I need to do to be considered,” she told The Australian.

“I want victims of crime and Queenslanders to know that I am not giving up on them and I am not going away. I will continue to represent them even if it has to be from the outside.”

Based on the Gold Coast, Dr Wright works for the Australian Army developing forensic capability for counter-terrorism and national security needs, and as an RAAF reservist squadron leader helps recover and identify fallen soldiers from historic and current conflicts.

She is a visiting fellow with the Genomics Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology, was involved in the response to the 2002 Bali bombings, led an international team identifying victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, was manager of the national DNA database, and was pivotal to identifying the remains of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe.

Premier Steven Miles said he was unaware Dr Wright had expressed interest in the role. Ms D’Ath said 45 people applied for positions and appointments were made “following a highly competitive international search”.

In his final inquiry report, Mr Sofronoff found catastrophic testing 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.

Forensic experts on the authority include forensic services director at the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Christopher Porter and Adjunct Professor Alastair Ross, who is foundation director of the National Institute of Forensic Science.

The manager of the Queensland Police Service’s DNA unit, David Neville, who began to quietly review the lab’s unusual failure rate in ­detecting DNA in late 2021, was also appointed.

Other members include victim advocates Cathy Crawford and Rhea Mohenoa, Queensland Health’s chief medical officer Catherine McDougall and solicitor Patrick Quinn as well as representatives from police, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Legal Aid Queensland.

Crown prosecutor Gregory Cummings has been promoted to a new deputy director role at the DPP, which will focus on cases requiring retested DNA evidence.

Ms D’Ath said the establishment of the council was a “significant step toward reforming Queensland’s forensic services”.

“The council will monitor and review all FSQ policies and procedures relating to the administration of criminal justice, which should help to restore the community’s confidence in our state’s forensic services.”