The Ombudsman’s 2024-25 audit of compliance with the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Act 2007 was tabled in the House of Assembly on 25 November 2025.
Each year, Ombudsman SA conducts an audit of the South Australian Police’s compliance with the provisions of the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Act 2007 (the CL(FP) Act).
In 2024-25, the audit focussed upon procedures which affect the vulnerable, have the greatest impact on the rights of the individuals or involve the use of significant police powers.
The audit assessed statutory compliance for the following procedures: victims and volunteers procedures (concentrating upon procedures on protected persons), suspect procedures authorised by senior police officers, and blood testing for communicable diseases.
As with previous years, the audit results demonstrated very high levels of compliance with the requirements of the CL(FP) Act. However, the Ombudsman expressed concern that:
‘more can and should be done to ensure forensic procedures performed on Aboriginal people are done in a culturally appropriate manner… cultural issues for this cohort are known but… the current system does not approach these with the level of seriousness contemplated by the legislation or indeed expected of government.’
Two of the three recommendations made by the Ombudsman in her report are aimed at improving cultural safety for First Nations suspects undergoing intrusive forensic procedures.
