DNA lab report may stay a secret under new Queensland laws

A corruption watchdog investigation into scientists who oversaw disastrous testing practices at Queensland’s DNA laboratory is near completion but may never be made public under new laws.

Crime and Corruption Commission chair Bruce Barbour in the Queensland parliament. Picture: NewsWire / Tertius Pickard

A corruption watchdog investigation into scientists who oversaw disastrous testing practices at Queensland’s DNA laboratory is near completion but may never be made public under new laws that will prevent the Crime and Corruption Commission from criticising politicians and public servants.

A royal commission-style inquiry in 2022 found then-managing scientist Cathie Allen and her deputies, Justin Howes and Paula Brisotto, were behind a testing threshold that compromised thousands of criminal cases.

Former judge Walter Sofronoff KC, who led the inquiry, was highly critical of Ms Allen in his final report, finding she had lied under oath and to police, the government and victims of crime.

Mr Sofronoff stopped short of recommending criminal charges but his report was referred to the CCC in December 2022.

The CCC has repeatedly ­declined to comment on the ­status of its investigation but on Friday watchdog chair Bruce Barbour confirmed at a budget estimates hearing that investigations were “continuing”.

“I hope that it will be concluded shortly,” he said.

“As you can well imagine, it is an extremely complex matter, and it’s required the review of the entire evidence that was before the commission of inquiry.”

However, findings from the report may never be made public under sweeping new laws that will force the CCC to do most of its work in secret, with Mr Barbour telling the hearing “we’ll have to wait and see whether it’s going to be possible to do so. Ultimately it will depend on the model for public reporting, which is put forward by way of amendments.”

The laws, to be introduced to state parliament before October’s state election, were prompted by a High Court ­decision last year that muzzled the CCC from publicly reporting on most of its investigations into politicians and public ­servants.

Premier Steven Miles in May accepted all 16 recommendations from a review by former chief justice Catherine Holmes, including that the watchdog be banned from making critical commentary.

Under the reforms, investigative reports into public servants would not be published unless the person had been found guilty by a court, sacked or had a “disciplinary declaration” made against them under the Public Sector Act.

If an investigation uncovers evidence of systemic corruption, the CCC would be prohibited from identifying individuals ­unless “reasonably necessary” or if they had already been named at a ­public hearing.

Mr Barbour said he had “major concerns” about some of the recommendations. “We don’t believe they’re ­appropriate, we believe they’re inconsistent with the public ­interest, and we don’t support them,” he said.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the CCC should not be able to “report what you want, when you want”. The Liberal National Party has pledged to give the CCC stronger powers if it wins the October 26 election.