Queensland Courts is calling for experts to join Stream 2 of its pilot Sexual Offence Expert Evidence Panel.
The panel implements recommendations 80 and 43 of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce (WSJT) Hear her voice – Report Two, and is being used in specified courts in Brisbane and Townsville.
Stream 1 of the two-year pilot, which began in February, is accepting eligible referrals. This stream allows an expert to give evidence specifically as to whether the defendant’s cognitive and/or mental health impairment at the time of the alleged offence was a substantial cause of the person not saying or doing anything to ascertain whether the other person consented to the sexual act.
Stream 2 will broaden the functions of the panel to allow experts to give counterintuitive evidence regarding the nature of sexual offences and the social, psychological, and cultural factors that may affect the behaviour of a person who has been, or alleges to have been, a victim of a relevant sexual offence, as requested by the prosecution, defence, or court.
Applications are being sought for Stream 2 from people who have specialised knowledge, gained by training, study or experience, in a field of knowledge relevant to assessing the nature of sexual offences and the social, psychological and cultural factors that may affect the behaviour of a person who has been the victim, or who alleges that they have been the victim of a sexual offence.
Applications can be made via the VendorPanel website and will close at 2pm on 16 July 2025.
For further information about the panel generally or Stream 1 referrals, visit the panel website.
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