The managing scientist of the Queensland government-run DNA testing lab, Cathie Allen, has had her contract terminated six months after she faced questions at an inquiry into wide-ranging failures at the lab.
The inquiry, led by former Court of Appeal president Walter Sofronoff, was critical of Ms Allen, including that she lied to her immediate supervisor and to senior police about the work of the lab.
At the centre of the inquiry was a 2018 decision to stop testing forensic samples below a certain threshold and classify them as having "insufficient DNA", despite the possibility of obtaining a DNA profile with further testing.
The lab is the state's key point of testing DNA for criminal cases.
Mr Sofronoff said the impacts of these failures included "a reduced prospect of conviction by a failure to obtain evidence".
"Ms Allen has not been able to fulfil the responsibilities of her role," Mr Sofronoff wrote in his final report.
"I find that Cathie Allen mismanaged her time as managing scientist because she failed to devote sufficient time to scientific issues, but was instead intimately involved in aspects of the laboratory that did not require her involvement."
At a press conference after the release of the report, Mr Sofronoff agreed Ms Allen's leadership was the "single-biggest problem" at the lab over the years, and that she lied to him and others during the inquiry.
During the hearings, Ms Allen said she was made to feel like a "Disney villain".
Ms Allen was in the role from 2008 until she was stood down last September on full pay.
The ABC understands a letter of termination was sent to her lawyer from Queensland Health yesterday afternoon.
Earlier this month it was revealed the lab was dealing with a backlog of more than 10,000 "business as usual" cases in addition to needing to test thousands of historic cases after the Commission of Inquiry.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, a Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed that Ms Allen's employment "has been terminated".
