'Toxic' culture at DNA lab adds to backlog of problems
Queensland's troubled DNA lab is struggling to maintain its accreditation, implement 126 commission of inquiry recommendations and address an ever-growing case backlog.
Those are some of the findings of former FBI expert Bruce Budowle, whose independent review into the lab's operational matters was tabled on Tuesday.
Dr Budowle found a "toxic" workplace culture was evident to the review team, including poor communication, a lack of empowerment, resistance to change and limited evidence of a solution-based culture.
The review team also found some scientific methods were being implemented without proper validation, posing risks to result integrity.
"Despite considerable effort over the past two and a half years, FSQ (Forensic Science Queensland) remains a laboratory in a state of sustained crisis," the report said.
It follows a damning review released by the Queensland government on Monday that exposed further flaws at the troubled lab, which has delayed court cases for years and left major crime victims in "harm's way".
A revamp of contamination issues at Forensic Science Queensland is to be headed by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller.
The planned revamp follows the resignation of lab director Linzi Wilson-Wilde in July, a month after being suspended over "contamination issues" at the lab.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington told a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday the Budowle review had uncovered a troubling amount of environmental contamination within the lab and calculation errors with kinship and paternity testing dating back several years.
"Evidence from police is that FSQ significant delays and backlogs are having considerable negative impact on active investigations and public safety," Ms Frecklington told the hearing.
"And a workplace culture at FSQ that appeared to the review team to be, and I quote, 'quite toxic', with management at all levels appearing to operate in a reactive, crisis-management mode."
The Budowle report also found a "check-the-box" approach to accreditation and risk assessment has led to a culture of superficial compliance at the lab.
"Additionally, this approach fostered an illusion of progress which appeared to the review team to be concealing deep-seated risks and promoting lack of adequate proactive responses and mitigation processes," the report said.
Dr Budowle recommended the appointment of an independent advisor to the lab, promoting solution-oriented approaches and a strategic pause in operations.
A break of two to four weeks or longer could assist in addressing "fundamental quality issues, retrain scientific staff, and implement robust contamination controls and mitigation procedures".
Forensic Science Queensland was established in May 2023 after two inquiries exposed major lab failings.
The state government has provided $50 million to address the DNA lab's backlog.
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Perth Now
05-08-2025
- Perth Now
'Toxic' culture at DNA lab adds to backlog of problems
A state forensic lab remains in a "sustained crisis", a former Federal Bureau of Investigation expert says. Queensland's troubled DNA lab is struggling to maintain its accreditation, implement 126 commission of inquiry recommendations and address an ever-growing case backlog. Those are some of the findings of former FBI expert Bruce Budowle, whose independent review into the lab's operational matters was tabled on Tuesday. Dr Budowle found a "toxic" workplace culture was evident to the review team, including poor communication, a lack of empowerment, resistance to change and limited evidence of a solution-based culture. The review team also found some scientific methods were being implemented without proper validation, posing risks to result integrity. "Despite considerable effort over the past two and a half years, FSQ (Forensic Science Queensland) remains a laboratory in a state of sustained crisis," the report said. It follows a damning review released by the Queensland government on Monday that exposed further flaws at the troubled lab, which has delayed court cases for years and left major crime victims in "harm's way". A revamp of contamination issues at Forensic Science Queensland is to be headed by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller. The planned revamp follows the resignation of lab director Linzi Wilson-Wilde in July, a month after being suspended over "contamination issues" at the lab. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington told a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday the Budowle review had uncovered a troubling amount of environmental contamination within the lab and calculation errors with kinship and paternity testing dating back several years. "Evidence from police is that FSQ significant delays and backlogs are having considerable negative impact on active investigations and public safety," Ms Frecklington told the hearing. "And a workplace culture at FSQ that appeared to the review team to be, and I quote, 'quite toxic', with management at all levels appearing to operate in a reactive, crisis-management mode." The Budowle report also found a "check-the-box" approach to accreditation and risk assessment has led to a culture of superficial compliance at the lab. "Additionally, this approach fostered an illusion of progress which appeared to the review team to be concealing deep-seated risks and promoting lack of adequate proactive responses and mitigation processes," the report said. Dr Budowle recommended the appointment of an independent advisor to the lab, promoting solution-oriented approaches and a strategic pause in operations. A break of two to four weeks or longer could assist in addressing "fundamental quality issues, retrain scientific staff, and implement robust contamination controls and mitigation procedures". Forensic Science Queensland was established in May 2023 after two inquiries exposed major lab failings. The state government has provided $50 million to address the DNA lab's backlog.
ABC News
05-08-2025
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Queensland forensics lab in 'sustained crisis', with 'failure in leadership' leading to toxic culture, report finds
A toxic culture at Queensland's state-run forensics lab has exacerbated delays, impacted police investigations and put the community at risk, a second scathing report in as many days has revealed. The troubled Forensic Science Queensland (FSQ) was the subject of two commissions of inquiry in 2022 and 2023, which found evidence may have been compromised and could have led to miscarriages of justice. On Monday, a report led by forensic biologist Dr Kirsty Wright identified that victims of serious crimes like rape and murder were waiting well over a year for vital DNA test results, which should have taken just 10 days. A separate independent report released on Tuesday, led by former Forensic Bureau of Investigations (FBI) expert Dr Bruce Budowle, described the lab as being in "sustained crisis". "The challenges facing FSQ seem to the Review Team to be multi-faceted and include failures in leadership and organisational culture and systemic failures in foundational areas like quality assurance and operational capability and capacity," the report noted. Do you know more about this story or have you been impacted by the DNA delays? We want to hear from you As of this week, about 13,000 DNA samples need to be retested due to failures at the lab. That process is expected to take years to complete and to lead to years-long delays in the courts. Dr Budowle found the backlog was having a "significant negative impact on police investigations and safety". "Delays between a crime and apprehension can be exacerbated, or identification of persons of interest may not occur at all if the investigative process cannot use DNA to develop investigative leads," he wrote. "And thus result in a failure in providing safety and security to the victims, their families, and their communities." Dr Budowle found there was a culture of "poor communication, a lack of empowerment, and resistance to change" at FSQ. "During interviews, many people reported raising operational and/or quality issues and receiving responses like 'it's not your concern' or 'stay in your lane' or 'pick your battles'," he wrote. The report noted significant staffing pressure at the lab, which was short-staffed by 80 full-time employees – something Dr Budowle said was an "extraordinary predicament for any organisation". "The Review Team accepts that finding qualified and experienced management and staff for FSQ is a real challenge given the limited pool of talent in Australia from which to draw and that recruiting to a laboratory in crisis is not an incentive to attract sufficient talent," he wrote. Dr Wright's report also detailed environmental contamination at FSQ, labelling it a "dirty lab". He said this had been raised in quarterly meetings for two years, but these concerns went "unheeded". With a massive backlog of work and a huge number of recommendations from previous inquiries to be implemented, Dr Budowle said management was working in a "reactive, crisis management mode". A clear lack of strategic direction contributed to "instability, resource wastage, staff burnout, and the erosion of staff's trust in management", he wrote. One example of shifting priorities detailed in the report involved a visit from Attorney-General Deb Frecklington. "For example, renovating a currently unused laboratory room became a high priority after a visit by the Attorney-General, who noted that the space should be renovated," the report read. Former director of the facility, Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde, resigned last month following the identification of "contamination issues". The two reports have made a total of 32 recommendations, which the government said it would consider over the coming months. The government has appointed former NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller to head a new expert team to overhaul operations at FSQ.
Perth Now
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‘Chilling': Hundreds of rape kits untested
An independent forensic review has uncovered widespread failures in Queensland's DNA testing system, prompting the state government to announce a sweeping overhaul of Forensic Science Queensland (FSQ). The report, authored by forensic biologist Kirsty Wright, details extensive issues including unreliable results, long delays in testing, and contamination, problems that have significantly impacted police investigations, court proceedings, and victims of crime. The findings come after the state government commissioned the review in its first week in office, appointing Dr Wright and former FBI expert Bruce Budowle to assess testing services and reforms. A new forensic report has revealed critical failures in DNA testing. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: NCA NewsWire According to the report: • FSQ has been providing unreliable DNA results to police and courts since early 2023 due to systemic contamination. • Delays in reporting DNA evidence have worsened, placing the justice system under 'critical system failure'. • The median turnaround time for DNA results in major crimes is 412 days, almost 400 days longer than what police require. • The backlog of untested rape kits increased from 75 in 2023 to 511 by September 2024, with some tests taking more than a year despite guidelines recommending completion within two to eight weeks. The formation of an independent expert team will be led by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller. Picture Scott Powick / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia The government has responded by announcing the formation of an independent expert team, to be led by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller, with continued involvement from both Dr Wright and Dr Budowle. Premier David Crisafulli said the report 'exposes a harrowing chapter in Queensland's justice system'. 'We launched this review because Queenslanders deserve the truth and victims of crime deserve justice,' Mr Crisafulli said. 'This report shows what has occurred is nothing short of a betrayal of victims, but we are determined to rebuild confidence and restore integrity in the justice system.' Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the report showed 'nothing short of a betrayal of victims'. Dan Peled / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the report's findings 'rocked the foundations of our justice system'. 'Dr Wright's findings aren't just concerning, they're chilling, and I know this report will be very difficult reading for victims,' Ms Frecklington said. 'To restore safety where you live, we must resource our courts and police with evidence they need Ms Frecklington said she was confident trust in the DNA testing system could be rebuilt. In addition to launching the expert panel, the government has pledged $50m over two years to clear the DNA backlog by outsourcing samples for testing. A further $6m will go to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to help deliver faster outcomes in DNA-related matters. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington described the report as 'chilling'. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia Dr Wright said she was committed to helping rebuild Queensland's forensic system. 'I have been determined to leave no stone unturned with my review, knowing that the failures that occurred under the former government have seen our criminal justice system compromised, trust in our forensic DNA services eroded, and too many victims denied justice,' Dr Wright said. Mr Fuller said he was prepared for the work ahead. 'I am under no illusions that there is significant road in front of us as we work through the very serious issues raised,' Mr Fuller said. 'It is a great privilege to be entrusted with such a transformative task.'
