A scandal-plagued Queensland forensic lab is struggling to redeem itself. 

Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has revealed that the state-run forensic lab has retested less than 2 per cent of cases since failings in its DNA testing methodology came to light last year. 

The failures ignited a controversy that cast shadows over major crime investigations dating back to 2007.

The lab’s methodology, which relied on automated processes, reportedly failed to extract the maximum amount of DNA from samples, prompting a review of 41,000 cases. 

To date, only 445 cases have been revisited, uncovering new evidence in 23 per cent of them, which had previously gone undetected due to the lab’s flawed practices.

Dr Kirsty Wright, a whistleblower in the scandal, has criticised the state’s decision to keep the lab operational during the review process.

“It's asking a broken lab to do something impossible. It should be temporarily shut down to fix itself and apply the recommendations from the Sofronoff report without the workload of current cases and retesting of the previous 41,000,” she told reporters.

The state has dismissed calls to shut down the lab, arguing that it would not expedite the testing process. 

The opposition has used this delay to highlight potential injustices, saying it could mean that innocent people are in jail, while the guilty may walk the streets. 

The lab’s new chief, Adjunct Professor Linzi Wilson-Wilde, defended the lab's progress and cited challenges including the pace of case referrals by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). 

“We are currently prioritising active cases before the court… we are making inroads thanks to the successful recruitment efforts, more resources, extensive collaboration with Queensland Police Service Officer of the Department of Public Prosecutions and state and overseas laboratories,” she said.