Digital evidence review
The Sexual Violence Review Board is reviewing how digital evidence is collected, disclosed and used in sexual offence cases.
The review aims to understand how current practices impact reporting, investigation and prosecution of sexual offences in Queensland, and to identify opportunities for improvement.
Get involved
Public consultation is now open.
The Board wants to hear from victim-survivors who have provided digital evidence as part of an investigation or court case about sexual violence. We are also interested in hearing from other people involved in the justice system who have provided, collected or used digital evidence, as well as other interested stakeholders.
There are two ways to contribute to the review.
Victim-survivor survey
This survey is anonymous and might take you around 15 minutes to complete. It will ask about your experience. You can answer as many questions as you want to.
The survey closes at 5pm on Friday 6 November 2026.
We seek to better understand:
- how digital evidence was requested and collected
- how the process impacted you
- whether the process affected your participation in investigations or prosecutions
- how the process could be improved to better support victim-survivors.
This survey is anonymous and may take approximately 15 minutes to complete. It will ask about your experience, and you can answer as many or as few questions as you wish.
Make a submission
Anyone can make a submission to the Digital Evidence Review.
A submission is a formal response setting out your views, experiences, evidence, concerns or recommendations about the key issues the Board is considering.
You may wish to make a submission if you are:
- a victim-survivor of sexual violence
- a family member, supporter or advocate
- a professional working in the justice, legal, health or community services sectors
- a researcher, academic or stakeholder organisation
- a member of the public with an interest in the issues.
Please email your submission to: contact.svrb@victimscommissioner.qld.gov.au
Discussion papers
To help prepare your submission, we have developed two discussion papers outlining the key issues and questions we are considering. You may read either paper, or both.
Privacy and publication options
When making a submission, please tell us whether it is:
- confidential – for the information of the Sexual Violence Review Board only; or
- public – meaning we may publish your submission and refer to it in our final report.
If you do not tell us whether your submission is confidential or public, we will contact you before publishing any part of it.
You may also choose to make an anonymised public submission. This means we may publish your submission, but we will remove your name and other identifying information before doing so.
If you do not provide information that allows us to verify your identity, your submission will be treated as an anonymous submission and will be considered confidential.
In some circumstances, the Board may decide not to publish a public submission or may remove content before publication.
For more information about how we handle personal information, please read our Privacy policy and Collection Notice.
How we will use your feedback
The Board will use survey responses and submissions to inform its response to the Terms of Reference.
We will provide a final report to the Minister for Youth Justice and Victim Support and Minister for Corrective Services by June 2027.
Background
The role of digital evidence in sexual offence cases
Digital evidence plays an increasingly important role in the reporting, investigation and prosecution of sexual offences.
This evidence can be obtained directly from various sources, including:
- a victim's personal device, such as a mobile phone or computer
- service providers, such as telecommunications companies or social media platforms
- devices belonging to suspects or third parties.
As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, the likelihood of digital evidence being used in criminal proceedings continues to grow.
What is digital evidence?
For this review, digital evidence means any information stored or sent on an electronic device.
This may include:
- phone call logs
- text messages
- emails
- social media interactions
- photos and videos
- internet browsing history
- location data
As the Review is concerned with the impact of digital evidence collection, disclosure and use on victim-survivors, it will focus on digital evidence obtained from electronic devices owned or controlled by victim-survivors.
What will the Board consider?
- the current laws, policies and practices for collecting and sharing digital evidence
- training and guidance available to police, prosecutors and judges, and how it is applied
- whether laws and practices keep up with today's technology and balance victims' rights with an accused person's right to a fair trial
- how laws and practices affect investigations, court decisions and victim-survivor experiences
- better ways to manage digital evidence
- accountability measures for collecting and using digital evidence.
Review timeline
The review is underway.
A public consultation process is currently underway.
The Board will provide a report to the Minister for Youth Justice and Victim Support and Minister for Corrective Services by June 2027.
The Board may also provide interim briefings and reports as needed.
More information
The review will follow its Terms of Reference.
They explain in full detail:
- what work is included in the review
- how the Board will carry out the review
- who the Board will consult
- the timeline for completing the review.
Contact us
If you have questions about the review, please contact us: