NEW SOUTH WALES — A New South Wales parliamentary committee accused NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling of giving false evidence under oath in a recently released report. The committee recommended the NSW attorney general investigate whether there are grounds to remove Dowling from office.

The upper house inquiry voted 4-3 to conclude that Dowling authorized pitching a story to radio station 2GB about a sentencing hearing involving a young person. The inquiry found that Dowling falsely denied authorizing the pitch in her evidence to the committee. Dowling admitted her office pitched the story but rejected suggestions she authorized it.

District Court Judge Penelope Wass submitted a 68-page document to the inquiry, alleging Dowling organized the leaking of the story. Wass stated the alleged leak was "designed to embarrass and defame her and to undermine the independence of a district court judge." Dowling alleged Wass had a personal grievance against her and the ODPP. Dowling accused the inquiry of a denial of procedural fairness.

Dowling testified to the inquiry that she only learned her office was the source of the story two days before her December 2025 appearance. However, the committee's majority found Dowling gave false evidence by claiming she only discovered in December 2025 that the story had been pitched by the ODPP.

ODPP media manager Sally Killoran gave evidence regarding a meeting with Dowling and an external media adviser on October 24, 2024, the day before the story aired. Killoran contacted 2GB, believing she was authorized to do so. Dowling told the inquiry she did not dispute Killoran's mistaken understanding but stated she did not authorize pitching the story. The external media adviser did not appear before the inquiry or make herself available to be served a summons.

NSW Attorney General Michael Daley criticized the report, stating, "This is probably the worst report I have seen in my nearly 21 years in parliament." Daley also described the report as "a stitch-up from the outset." He added that the report "makes findings that are unsupported by the evidence." Daley expressed full confidence in Dowling and said he would instruct the Crown Solicitor's Office to brief senior counsel to review the report.