LNP pledges $21.5m justice boost, fix for forensic DNA lab crisis

Millions of dollars will be pumped into fixing Queensland’s forensic DNA lab crisis, up to 20 frontline staff hired, and a new judge added in Townsville under a $21.5m LNP plan to boost Queensland’s justice system and clear a growing backlog of cases.

Dr Kirsty Wright during a media conference in Mackay with Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Millions of dollars will be pumped into fixing Queensland’s forensic DNA lab crisis, up to 20 frontline staff hired, and a new judge added in Townsville under a $21.5m LNP plan to boost Queensland’s justice system and clear a growing backlog of cases.

And in a significant boost for the Opposition the plan has received a ringing endorsement from Vicki Blackburn, the mother of murdered Mackay woman Shandee Blackburn - an unsolved crime that sparked revelations of catastrophic failings at the state’s DNA lab dating back more than a decade.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, flanked by shadow Attorney-General Tim Nicholls and revered forensic scientist and whistleblower Dr Kirsty Wright in Mackay, revealed a $21.5m plan aimed at bolstering the state’s justice system.

The funds, over four years, includes $6m to be used exclusively on dealing with the growing backlog of cases impacted by the DNA lab debacle.

Mr Nicholls said the number of matters in the queue was now 40,735.

Shandee Blackburn’s mother Vicki Blackburn, Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli and Dr Kirsty Wright during a media conference in Mackay. Picture: Liam Kidston.

This $6m would be used to hire up to 10 extra staff to help the existing DPP team undertaking reviews of impacted cases.

There is another $6m to add 10 extra staff to the DPP to help deal with the broader workload, with Mr Nicholls saying the increased staffing would help deal with burnout among prosecutors and prevent them leaving the public system for the more “lucrative” private sector.

Another $9.5m will be put toward hiring an additional District Court judge - and ancillary staff - in Townsville.

The announcement builds on the LNP’s pledge to put scientist Dr Wright in charge of reviewing the state’s flagging forensic DNA lab.

While the role is dependent on the LNP winning government, Dr Wright said she had already begun work on her own time to figure out ways to clear the state’s DNA testing backlog.

“Queensland hasn’t had a properly functioning forensic DNA lab for 15 years, and that means that the criminal justice system has also been compromised,” she said.

“It means that victims of crime have been denied justice, and that justice, as you heard from Vicki Blackburn, is just so important for them to receive.

“Victims of crime are really vulnerable population. They are four times more likely to suffer PTSD. Victims of rape are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide. Having this vulnerable population having to wait for their justice is causing them real trauma”

Ms Blackburn said her daughter and many other victims of crime did not yet have justice after more than a decade of failings at the DNA lab.

“Today is an announcement, and it’s the first time in 11 years I have seen a comprehensive plan that has the ability to deliver that justice to those people,” she said.

Originally published as LNP pledges $21.5m justice boost, fix for forensic DNA lab crisis