The Attorney General of New South Wales, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for New South Wales and usually known simply as the Attorney General, is a

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

in the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

who has responsibility for the administration of justice in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In addition, the attorney general is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General,

Crown Advocate Crown advocate is a title used in some former British colonies (and until recently in Britain) for a government prosecutor. In former British Colonies and certain British extraterritorial courts the title is (or was) used by the senior government ...

, and Crown Solicitor, the attorney general serves as the chief legal and constitutional adviser of the Crown and Government of New South Wales. The current attorney general, since 30 January 2017, is

Mark Speakman Mark Raymond Speakman (born 6 November 1959) is an Australian politician. He has served as the New South Wales Attorney General since January 2017 in the second Berejiklian ministry since April 2019, and in the first arrangement of the Perrott ...

, . The attorney general is supported in the administration of his portfolio by the following ministers, all appointed with effect from 21 December 2021: * the Minister for Police, currently

Paul Toole Paul Lawrence Toole (born 2 August 1970), an Australian politician, is the Deputy Premier and leader of the New South Wales Nationals since October 2021. Toole is the Minister for Regional New South Wales in the second Berejiklian and Perrot ...

* the Minister for Women and

Minister for Mental Health Ministers of Mental Health are specific Government Ministers with a responsibility over mental health. History Not many countries have dedicated ministers for mental health, however a minister with another name may be responsible for it. By c ...

, currently

Bronnie Taylor Bronwyn Taylor (known as Bronnie Taylor), an Australian politician, is the New South Wales Minister for Women, the Minister for Regional Health, and the Minister for Mental Health in the Perrottet ministry, since December 2021. Taylor has ser ...

* the Minister for Veterans, currently David Elliott * the

Minister for Women's Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence The Minister for Women is a Minister of the Crown, minister in the New South Wales Government with responsibility for women's issues in New South Wales, Australia. There had been a Women’s Co-ordination Unit and a Women’s Advisory Council s ...

, currently

Natalie Ward Natalie Ward may refer to: * Natalie Ward (softball player) (born 1975) * Natalie Ward (politician) Natalie Peta Ward is an Australian politician. Ward is the Minister for Metropolitan Roads and Minister for Women's Safety and the Prevention ...

* the Minister for Corrections, currently

Geoff Lee Geoffrey Lee (born ) is an Australian politician. He has served as the Minister for Corrections in the Perrottet ministry since December 2021. He has previously served as the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education in the second Berejikli ...

* the

Minister for Families and Communities The New South Wales Minister for Families and Communities is a minister of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for social policy and welfare, including matters relating to ageing, disability, multiculturalism, and veterans' a ...

and

Minister for Disability Services Minister for Disability Services is a position in the government of Western Australia, currently held by Stephen Dawson of the Labor Party. The position was first created in 1991, for the government of Carmen Lawrence, and has existed in every go ...

, currently

Natasha Maclaren-Jones Natasha Marianne Maclaren-Jones (born 11 March 1976) is an Australian politician, and is a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since March 2011. Maclaren-Jones has served as the Minister for Families and Communities ...

* the Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience, currently

Steph Cooke Stephanie Anne Cooke is an Australian politician. Cooke has served as the Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience in the Perrottet ministry since December 2021. During the New South Wales floods in February−March 2022, Cooke was additi ...

* the Minister for Multiculturalism and

Minister for Seniors The Minister for Seniors is the government minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the rights and interests of senior citizens. The post was established by the Fourth Labour Government on 24 July 1990. It was split from ...

, currently

Mark Coure Mark Joseph Coure is an Australian politician. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Oatley for the Liberal Party since 2011 and served in the second Perrottet ministry. Early years and background Coure was ed ...

and * the Minister for Regional Youth, currently Ben Franklin. The attorney general and the Ministers administer the portfolio through the Stronger Communities

cluster may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study t ...

, in particular the Department of Communities and Justice and a range of other government agencies. Ultimately, the attorney general and the Ministers are responsible to the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...

History and function

The position of

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

has existed since 1824, well before the full establishment of the New South Wales Parliament (in 1856) but coinciding with the establishment of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

. From the beginning, the attorney general has been the Crown's advisor and representative in legal matters. It was modelled after the office of the Attorney General for England and Wales. As such the attorney general advises and represents the Crown and government departments in court. The person appointed to this role provides legal advice to the Government, acts as the representative of the public interest and resolves issues between government departments. The attorney general also has supervisory powers over the prosecution of criminal offences, but is not personally involved with prosecutions. Today, prosecutions are carried out by the Public Prosecution Office and most legal advice to government departments is provided by the Government Legal Service, both under the supervision of the attorney general. The attorney general may appeal cases to the higher courts where, although the particular case is settled, there may be a point of law of public importance at issue. The attorney general is responsible to Parliament for activities of the Department of Justice and has responsibility for the all state's courts and tribunals and the appointment of judges, magistrates and statutory officers in New South Wales.

List of ministers

Attorneys general

The following individuals have served as Attorney General of New South Wales:

References

External links

NSW Department of Justice
{{Australian Attorneys-General Attorneys General of New South Wales

Attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...