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The scientist who blew the whistle on Queensland’s DNA scandal quietly left her role at the state lab halfway through a 12-month contract, after being handpicked by the LNP government to fix the scandal-plagued facility.
Kirsty Wright confirmed on Thursday she had resigned from her position overseeing reform at Forensic Science Queensland (FSQ) in May, but added she would still assist the government if needed.
“My priority remains to help fix the lab,” Wright said.
She began the role in late September 2025. It was part-time, and had an option for another 12 months after the first year had concluded.
The revelation came as it emerged all DNA statements issued in the past three years to police and prosecutors were being reviewed, following the discovery of errors in records.
A DNA statement is the document outlining all relevant information from a tested sample, including the likelihood of a match with a specific individual.
Errors found included numbers being transcribed incorrectly and the wrong dates being inserted.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington spoke at the laboratory in Coopers Plains on Thursday alongside its director, Mick Fuller.
He confirmed 904 DNA statements relating to crimes, possibly including murder and rape, were being checked, after a typo was discovered during a criminal case.
About 300 statements had already been reviewed, with errors found in about 10 per cent to 15 per cent of cases.
Frecklington initially said no victims had been affected by error, but Fuller later clarified that could not be ruled out.
“Obviously we don’t want mistakes and I would love to get all the mistakes out … but if we do make mistakes, then we need to act on them quickly,” he said.
“We need to make sure that these issues are fixed.”
Frecklington said Wright had done an excellent job in her role, but did not elaborate on why she had resigned. She disputed claims the scientist had been gagged.
Asked why the departure was not made public at the time, the attorney-general said: “Sorry I didn’t pick up the phone and give you a call.
“There are contractual reasons why I won’t talk about any contracts that we have.”
FSQ was established in 2023 following a commission of inquiry into years of scandal, and failures that potentially led to offenders escaping conviction.
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