Shandee's Story

It's been four years since Hedley, Dr Kirsty Wright and Vicki and Shannah Blackburn first Zoomed in late 2021 about the forensic testing anomalies in Shandee's case.  In the final episode of Shandee's Legacy for now, the podcast’s focus turns to the future and a bid to solve Shandee's case. Hedley and Karina look into the status of Shandee's crime scene samples and those from other historical cases as Queensland’s Attorney-General Deb Frecklington pledges they will be re-tested. The senior lawyer in a defamation case brought by Shandee's former boyfriend over an episode of the podcast unpacks the high-stakes legal contest so far - and the potential for a full-blown trial. To read more about this story, plus see images, videos, timelines, and more, visit shandee.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new director of the lab, former NSW Police Force Commissioner Mick Fuller, is tasked with leading the lab out of ruin and transforming it into a world-class facility. He shares his plans for salvaging the lab with Hedley and explains why he is the right person for the top job, even though he's not a scientist.A confidential briefing note from the lab to Queensland Health in March 2023 warned of critical risks and a lack of confidence in the lab's scientists and science. Two years later, Dr Kirsty Wright says the issues demanded a temporary shut down of the lab. Instead, the lab persisted with testing and providing potentially unreliable results to the police and courts.     To read more about this story, plus see images, videos, timelines, and more, visit shandee.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The terrible toll for victims affected by the DNA lab’s ongoing failure is laid bare by Magda.Eighteen months after her alleged rape, the mining site worker is still waiting for the lab to tell her what, if anything, is happening with the forensic testing of samples from her ordeal.Magda shares her searing story with Hedley as Dr Kirsty Wright discloses major problems with the lab's testing of rape kits.New managers of the lab in Brisbane put their faith in a United States lab to help with the backlog and bring down the long delays in giving results to victims.And confidential documents which are being revealed publicly for the first time show bad things got with the lab's former management again taking short-cuts with testing even though it resulted in criminals' DNA going undetected, and crimes remaining unsolved. You can call 1800 Respect anytime if you need support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A blockbuster new podcast from The Australian and our investigative star reporter Hedley Thomas: Sick To Death is the horrifying true story of a surgeon who made catastrophic mistakes - and went unchallenged by a broken system. Hedley Thomas is here for a special episode to mark the launch of Sick To Death, available now in Apple Podcasts and at sicktodeathpodcast.com This is an episode of our daily news podcast The Front,  presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton with Lia Tsamoglou. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, Joshua Burton, Stephanie Coombes and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a break of two years, the podcast returns with the first of several new bombshell episodes of Shandee’s Legacy. The DNA lab in Queensland is again under close scrutiny for gross scientific failure despite the findings of two public inquiries, major reforms and a huge injection of public funds. Dr Kirsty Wright answers another SOS to lift the lid on what’s going wrong in the lab - and she’s asked to help fix it once and for all. Kirsty reveals her disgust and shock at what’s happened. As serious contamination problems and huge backlogs came to light, Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde, the lab’s leader since early 2023, was dramatically forced out and then quit.  Vicki and Shannah Blackburn share news about Shandee’s case.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of our daily news podcast, a QLD Supreme Court judge dismisses the defamation action brought against The Australian by the man acquitted of killing Shandee Blackburn. Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian’s app. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. The multimedia editor is Lia Tsamoglou and original music is composed by Jasper Leak.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A defamation case sparked by the Shandee’s Story podcast poses the question: can journalists publish evidence that calls a court finding into doubt? Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian’s app. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Stephanie Coombes and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team also includes Lia Tsamoglou, Jasper Leak, Kristen Amiet and Tiffany Dimmack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From our daily news podcast The Front, John Peros' defamation action against Hedley Thomas, Shannah Blackburn and the publishers of The Australian. For free daily news, search 'The Front' wherever you listen, and subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode. This episode is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Stephanie Coombes and edited by Jasper Leak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was no fanfare when Commissioner Annabelle Bennett SC handed down her findings from the Project 13 inquiry. Only disappointment that the inquiry failed to hold anyone responsible for the biggest disaster in the lab’s history.  In this episode of Shandee’s Legacy, Dr Kirsty Wright joins Hedley Thomas, Claire Harvey, and David Murray to dissect and comment on the findings from this rare second inquiry, the future of a lab at the heart of the criminal justice system, and the case which started all of this: the slaying of Shandee Blackburn in 2013. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public hearings in a second inquiry into the lab and the disastrous Project 13 have concluded. Closing submissions have been delivered. And still questions are left unanswered. Why was the automated process unleashed on precious crime-scene samples? Who wrote the mysterious and damning Project 13 report? And why didn’t the lab’s new boss flag it in the first inquiry? In this episode, Hedley Thomas, David Murray, and Matthew Condon dissect a baffling week in Brisbane’s Magistrates Court – and what it all means for the investigation into the murder of Shandee Blackburn. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public hearings for a rare second inquiry into catastrophic failings at Queensland’s besieged forensics lab are about to get underway in Brisbane.  In this episode of Shandee’s Legacy, Hedley Thomas, David Murray, Claire Harvey, and Matthew Condon drill down into the questions yet to be answered about Project 13: who knew what and when, and why didn’t the lab’s new boss raise it at the first inquiry?  We also get to know the new legal team brought in to lead the new inquiry. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Queensland government will reopen an inquiry into its troubled DNA lab after new evidence of flawed automated testing processes emerged. Find out more about The Front podcast here and subscribe in your podcast app. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian’s app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A cloud has been cast over the new chief of the lab following revelations that a DNA extraction method may have failed across thousands of samples in criminal cases for nine years. Professor Linzi Wilson-Wilde reviewed the automated method for retired judge Walter Sofronoff’s inquiry into the lab in 2022, but in her subsequent report did not mention information that she came across showing it was having serious problems recovering DNA. In this episode, Professor Wilson-Wilde launches a staunch defence of her report for the inquiry, saying she was engaged to examine a separate issue of the method contaminating crime scene samples soon after its introduction in 2007. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Kirsty Wright is the remarkable scientist who exposed the worst forensics disaster in Australia’s history, and now she’s identified the ‘smoking gun’ in the Queensland DNA lab disaster. It’s a catastrophe called ‘Project 13’ which has been hiding in plain view -- but Dr Wright is certain that it was deceptive and fraudulent, and it explains why Shandee’s case in 2013 and thousands of others since 2007 have failed. For dedicated followers of this series, the Project 13 report can be found on the inquiry’s website under module four. It’s document number 129.95, and you can compare for yourself the opening paragraph against the figures 9 to 12. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian's global smash-hit podcast Teacher's Pet returns for Australian audiences on July 1. You can find it wherever you got this podcast. Just search for "The Teacher's Pet". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will anyone face criminal charges for the disaster at the laboratory? We examine more of Walter Sofronoff’s findings about how this catastrophe unfolded, delve deeper into Cathie Allen’s conduct, and meet a lady who -- when the laboratory couldn’t make sense of DNA results -- was told her own son must have been switched at birth. The Queensland Government moves swiftly to respond to the report, and we cast forward to the laboratory’s future. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app. If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At last, Commissioner Walter Sofronoff hands down his 500-plus-page report -- and it is a sweeping denunciation of the laboratory’s failings, and of the conduct of one person in particular: Cathie Allen. He finds the managing scientist lied: to police, to her staff, to ministers and to the Commissioner himself, under oath during the inquiry. Sofronoff exposes a litany of deceit and trickery, compounded by ineptitude and weakness -- but he heralds the bravery of those who stood up, hailing the courage of Dr Kirsty Wright. We hear reactions from Dr Wright and Vicki Blackburn -- and we learn some news about John Peros.  To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the final week of public hearings in the explosive inquiry into a broken DNA lab and we’re all here because of one person -- Shandee Blackburn. The vicious and unprovoked murder of the defenceless 23-year-old walking home from work is front-and-centre as three independent experts give their verdict on the lab’s failure to find any forensic trace of her killer. It’s been a long and, at times, lonely road for Australia’s Dr Kirsty Wright, but now she gets her day in court alongside the world’s most renowned forensic biologist, Dr Bruce Budowle, and New Zealand’s Johanna Veth, revealing shocking new findings. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the harsh spotlight of the inquiry, lab boss Cathie Allen admits to absolutely nothing, tearfully insisting she always acted with the best intentions and has been terribly misunderstood. In her account, white-anting staff were to blame for the toxic culture at the lab, management offered no support, funding was shrinking and the pressure was relentless. We explore her life outside the lab, with some surprising revelations, and examine her claim to have been unfairly portrayed as a ‘Disney villain’. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The big guns from the DNA lab - Lara Keller, Justin Howes and Cathie Allen - are rolled into the formal inquiry and subjected to withering questioning by a lawyer on top of his game over alleged cover-up, lies to police, and scientific fraud. The three insist they've been honest at all times, just guilty of misunderstanding the details or being overwhelmed by work and led into human error. The inquiry's lead lawyer Michael Hodge was relentless as he applied a blowtorch to a very broken lab affecting thousands of victims of crime. To read The Australian's reporting and analysis of the inquiry, search Shandee's Story or visit shandee.com.au. For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.