Forensic Science in Australia: Where does Australia sit in relation to Trends and Issues in the International Context?

Abstract

In 2009, the National Academy of Science (NAS) in the United States released a controversial report on the forensic sciences that has stimulated a critical debate on the current status of the forensic sciences internationally. More recently, in the United Kingdom, the Home Office has published a review of research and development in forensic science conducted by Bernard Silverman, the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser, with support from Andrew Rennison, the Forensic Science Regulator, and Iain Williams, the Head of the Home Office Science Secretariat. This comment will address some of the criticisms and concerns expressed in these reviews, and will suggest where and why some of these concerns are, and are not, relevant to the Australian context. It will provide an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of forensic science policies and practices in Australia with a view to strengthening the field in the future.