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Attorney-General of Australia facts for kids

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Attorney-General of Australia
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Mark Dreyfus headshot.jpg
Incumbent
Mark Dreyfus
since 1 June 2022
Attorney-General's Department
Style The Honourable (formal)
Attorney-General (spoken)
Member of Cabinet of Australia
Federal Executive Council
National Security Committee
Indigenous Policy Committee
Governance Committee
Seat Canberra, ACT
Appointer Governor-General
on the advice of the prime minister
Term length At the Governor-General's pleasure
Formation 1 January 1901
First holder Alfred Deakin
Salary $336,599.25

The Attorney-General of Australia (often called the AG) is a very important government minister. They are the main legal officer for the whole country. Their job is to look after Australia's legal matters and public safety. They lead the Attorney-General's Department.

The current Attorney-General is Mark Dreyfus. He was chosen by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in June 2022, after the 2022 federal election. Usually, the Attorney-General is a lawyer.

This role is one of only four jobs in the Commonwealth Government that have existed since Australia became a nation. The others are the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence, and the Treasurer. The Attorney-General gets help with their duties from an assistant minister. Currently, this is Matt Thistlethwaite, who is also the Assistant Minister for the Republic.

History of the Attorney-General Role

The Attorney-General almost always has legal training. Many former Attorneys-General have become senior judges after serving in this role.

Billy Hughes was the longest-serving Attorney-General. He held the position for over thirteen years across different times. This included six years while he was also the Prime Minister.

Historically, being Attorney-General was a step towards even bigger jobs. Alfred Deakin, Billy Hughes, and Robert Menzies all became Prime Minister. Others, like John Latham, H. V. Evatt, and Billy Snedden, became leaders of the opposition parties. Lionel Bowen was the Deputy Prime Minister in the 1980s. Also, five former Attorneys-General became judges on the High Court. One of them, Isaac Isaacs, later became the Governor-General.

What Does the Attorney-General Do?

Key Responsibilities

The Attorney-General is the minister in charge of legal affairs and national safety. They also give legal advice to the Cabinet, which is the main decision-making group in the government. They handle laws about things like copyright and human rights. They are also responsible for groups like the Australian Law Reform Commission. This commission helps to improve Australia's laws.

Daily Functions

The Attorney-General helps choose people for judge positions. They also approve when legal cases go to court. Usually, a special team called the Director of Public Prosecutions handles court cases. However, the Attorney-General still has the final say. They can start or stop public court cases.

For some serious crimes, the Attorney-General must personally agree to start a prosecution. This happens for cases that might be sensitive or political. The Attorney-General can also issue special certificates. These certificates state certain facts, for example, that revealing information in court could harm national security. Courts must accept these facts. The Attorney-General can also issue a nolle prosequi. This means the government decides not to continue with a case.

Working with Security Agencies

The Attorney-General also works closely with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). ASIO is Australia's main security intelligence agency.

List of Attorneys-General

Here is a list of the people who have served as Attorney-General for Australia:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Prior legal experience Alma mater Term start Term end Term in office
1 Alfred Deakin KC   Protectionist Barton Barrister University of Melbourne 1 January 1901 (1901-01-01) 24 September 1903 (1903-09-24) 2 years, 266 days
2 Senator James Drake Deakin Barrister King's College School, London 24 September 1903 (1903-09-24) 27 April 1904 (1904-04-27) 216 days
3 H. B. Higgins QC Protectionist Watson Barrister University of Melbourne 27 April 1904 (1904-04-27) 17 August 1904 (1904-08-17) 112 days
4 Senator Sir Josiah Symon, KCMG, QC Free Trade Reid Barrister Free Church Training College 17 August 1904 (1904-08-17) 5 July 1905 (1905-07-05) 322 days
5 Isaac Isaacs QC Protectionist Deakin Barrister University of Melbourne 5 July 1905 (1905-07-05) 12 October 1906 (1906-10-12) 1 year, 99 days
6 Littleton Groom KC Lawyer University of Melbourne 12 October 1906 (1906-10-12) 13 November 1908 (1908-11-13) 2 years, 32 days
7 Billy Hughes, KC Labor Fisher Barrister n/a 13 November 1908 (1908-11-13) 2 June 1909 (1909-06-02) 201 days
8 Paddy Glynn, KCMG, KC Commonwealth
Liberal		 Deakin Barrister Trinity College Dublin 2 June 1909 (1909-06-02) 29 April 1910 (1910-04-29) 331 days
n/a Billy Hughes KC Labor Fisher Barrister n/a 29 April 1910 (1910-04-29) 24 June 1913 (1913-06-24) 3 years, 56 days
9 William Irvine KC Commonwealth
Liberal		 Cook Barrister Trinity College, Dublin; University of Melbourne 24 June 1913 (1913-06-24) 17 September 1914 (1914-09-17) 1 year, 85 days
n/a Billy Hughes KC Labor Fisher Barrister n/a 17 September 1914 (1914-09-17) 27 October 1915 (1915-10-27) 7 years, 95 days
Hughes 27 October 1915 (1915-10-27) 14 November 1916 (1916-11-14)
National Labor 14 November 1916 (1916-11-14) 13 June 1917 (1917-06-13)
Nationalist 13 June 1917 (1917-06-13) 21 December 1921 (1921-12-21)
n/a Sir Littleton Groom, KCMG, KC Lawyer University of Melbourne 21 December 1921 (1921-12-21) 9 February 1923 (1923-02-09) 3 years, 362 days
Bruce 9 February 1923 (1923-02-09) 18 December 1925 (1925-12-18)
10 John Latham KC Barrister University of Melbourne 18 December 1925 (1925-12-18) 22 October 1929 (1929-10-22) 3 years, 308 days
11 Frank Brennan Labor Scullin Barrister University of Melbourne 22 October 1929 (1929-10-22) 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 2 years, 76 days
n/a Sir John Latham, GCMG, KC United Australia Lyons Barrister University of Melbourne 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 2 years, 279 days
12 Robert Menzies KC Barrister University of Melbourne 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 20 March 1939 (1939-03-20) 4 years, 159 days
n/a Billy Hughes, CH, KC Barrister n/a 20 March 1939 (1939-03-20) 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 2 years, 201 days
Page 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
Menzies 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26) 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)
Fadden 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29) 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
13 H. V. Evatt KC Labor Curtin Barrister, Judge University of Sydney 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07) 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 8 years, 73 days
Forde 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
Chifley 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)
14 Senator John Spicer KC Liberal Menzies Barrister University of Melbourne 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) 14 August 1956 (1956-08-14) 6 years, 239 days
15 Senator Neil O'Sullivan Solicitor 15 August 1956 (1956-08-15) 12 October 1958 (1958-10-12) 2 years, 58 days
16 Sir Garfield Barwick QC Barrister University of Sydney 12 October 1958 (1958-10-12) 4 March 1964 (1964-03-04) 5 years, 144 days
17 Billy Snedden QC Barrister University of Western Australia 4 March 1964 (1964-03-04) 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 2 years, 285 days
Holt 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)
18 Nigel Bowen QC Barrister University of Sydney 14 December 1966 (1966-12-14) 19 December 1967 (1967-12-19) 2 years, 333 days
McEwen 19 December 1967 (1967-12-19) 10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)
Gorton 10 January 1968 (1968-01-10) 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)
19 Tom Hughes QC Barrister University of Sydney 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12) 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 1 year, 130 days
McMahon 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22)
n/a Nigel Bowen Barrister University of Sydney 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22) 2 August 1971 (1971-08-02) 133 days
20 Senator Ivor Greenwood QC Barrister University of Melbourne 2 August 1971 (1971-08-02) 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 1 year, 125 days
21 Gough Whitlam QC Labor Whitlam Barrister University of Sydney 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 14 days
22 Senator Lionel Murphy QC Barrister University of Sydney 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 10 February 1975 (1975-02-10) 2 years, 53 days
23 Kep Enderby QC Barrister University of Sydney
University of London		 10 February 1975 (1975-02-10) 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 274 days
n/a Senator Ivor Greenwood QC Liberal Fraser Barrister University of Melbourne 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 41 days
24 Bob Ellicott QC Barrister University of Sydney 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 6 September 1977 (1977-09-06) 1 year, 258 days
25 Senator Peter Durack QC Barrister University of Western Australia
Lincoln College, Oxford		 6 September 1977 (1977-09-06) 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 5 years, 186 days
26 Senator Gareth Evans QC Labor Hawke Barrister University of Melbourne
Magdalen College, Oxford		 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) 1 year, 277 days
27 Lionel Bowen Solicitor University of Sydney 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 5 years, 112 days
28 Michael Duffy, ONZ Solicitor University of Melbourne 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) 2 years, 354 days
Keating 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
29 Duncan Kerr Labor Keating Barrister University of Tasmania 1 April 1993 (1993-04-01) 27 April 1993 (1993-04-27) 26 days
30 Michael Lavarch Solicitor Queensland University of Technology 27 April 1993 (1993-04-27) 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 2 years, 319 days
31 Daryl Williams, AM, QC Liberal Howard Barrister University of Western Australia
Wadham College, Oxford		 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 7 years, 210 days
32 Philip Ruddock Solicitor University of Sydney 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 4 years, 57 days
33 Robert McClelland Labor Rudd Solicitor University of New South Wales
University of Sydney		 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 4 years, 11 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14)
34 Nicola Roxon Solicitor University of Melbourne 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14) 2 February 2013 (2013-02-02) 1 year, 50 days
35 Mark Dreyfus QC Barrister University of Melbourne 2 February 2013 (2013-02-02) 26 June 2013 (2013-06-26) 228 days
Rudd 26 June 2013 (2013-06-26) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)
36 Senator George Brandis QC Liberal Abbott Barrister University of Queensland; Magdalen College, Oxford 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 4 years, 93 days
Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)
37 Christian Porter Lawyer University of Western Australia, London School of Economics 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 3 years, 100 days
Morrison 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)
38 Senator Michaelia Cash Solicitor Curtin University; University of London; University of Western Australia 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 1 year, 54 days
n/a Senator Katy Gallagher Labor Albanese n/a Australian National University 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) 9 days
39 Mark Dreyfus KC Barrister University of Melbourne 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 3 years, 5 days

Notes

  • A member of the Protectionist Party, Higgins served in the Labor ministry of Chris Watson. This was because Labor did not have a qualified lawyer in Parliament at the time.
  • Hughes became a King's Counsel in 1909.
  • Whitlam served as part of a two-person ministry for fourteen days. This was before the full ministry was officially appointed.
  • Prime Minister Paul Keating's first choice for Attorney-General in 1993 was Michael Lavarch. However, Lavarch's re-election was delayed. Duncan Kerr held the job in the meantime until Lavarch won the election. Kerr was Attorney-General for 26 days. There was no Attorney-General for eight days between Michael Duffy's term ending and Duncan Kerr's term starting.
  • Gallagher served as part of an interim five-person ministry for nine days. This was before the full ministry was officially appointed.

Assistant Ministers for the Republic

This position was created to help promote the Albanese government's plan to make Australia a republic. This means Australia would have its own head of state, not the British monarch. It is the first time a Commonwealth minister has held such a role.

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Matt Thistlethwaite   Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for the Republic 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 3 years, 5 days

Attorneys-General in States and Territories

Each Australian state and territory also has its own Attorney-General. These state ministers have similar duties to the federal minister, but they deal with state laws. You can find more information about them here:

  • Attorney-General of the Australian Capital Territory
  • Attorney-General of New South Wales
  • Attorney-General of the Northern Territory
  • Attorney-General of Queensland
  • Attorney-General of South Australia
  • Attorney-General of Tasmania
  • Attorney-General of Victoria
  • Attorney-General of Western Australia

See also

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