The New South Wales Department of Justice was a

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

agency in New South Wales,

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 ...

, that operated under various names between 2009 and 2019. In 2019, most of its functions were absorbed by a new Department of Communities and Justice. The department was responsible for the state's justice system – courts, prosecutions, prisons,

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

s – and most

emergency service Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...

agencies. The department was known as the Department of Justice and Attorney General (2009–2011), the Department of Attorney General and Justice (2011–2014), the Department of Police and Justice (2014) and finally the Department of Justice (2014–2019).

History

The re-organisation of the legal system of Colonial New South Wales led to the creation of the Attorney-General, an appointed law officer. Following the creation of self-government in 1856, the position of Attorney-General became an officer appointed by the Government of the day from within the membership of 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 ...

. In 1901, the Department of Attorney General and the Department of Justice were amalgamated into the Department of the Attorney General and Justice. In 1911, two separate branches of the department were established, later called divisions which continued until the 1970s. Responsibility for police and corrective services were removed from the department in the 1970s; and by 1991 the Department of Courts Administration was split out of the department. Some four years later, the two departments were merged to reform the Attorney General's Department. The Justice portfolio was re-established in 2009 through the creation of a new Department of Justice and Attorney General, abolishing the old Attorney General's Department. The headquarters of the department was at the Goodsell Building in Chifley Square. In 2008 the department's main business centres were relocated to newer offices in Parramatta. Following the 2011 state election the department was merged with Corrective Services and renamed to its current name. On 23 April 2014 it was decided that the department would be renamed the Department of Police and Justice. Subsequent government initiatives lead to the department becoming the Department of Justice. Following the 2019 state election the department merged with the Department of Family and Community Services and most of the functions of both departments were transferred to the newly formed Department of Communities and Justice.

Agencies administered

The following agencies were administered by the department until its abolition: * Crown Solicitor's Office * Fire and Rescue NSW * Guardianship Tribunal of New South Wales *Information and Privacy Commission *Inspector of Custodial Services * Juvenile Justice NSW *Legal Aid NSW *

Liquor & Gaming New South Wales Liquor & Gaming NSW is an agency of the Government of New South Wales, that is part of the Customer Service cluster. Liquor and Gaming NSW is responsible for the development, implementation and integrity of the regulatory framework for liquor sale ...

* NSW Crime Commission *NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages * NSW Rural Fire Service *NSW Trustee and Guardian * Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions *Office of the New South Wales Sheriff * State Emergency Service

References

{{reflist

External links

Department of Justice archived website
* The New South Wales Victims Compensation Tribunal Justice Legal organisations based in Australia 2011 establishments in Australia 2019 disestablishments in Australia Government agencies established in 2011 Government agencies disestablished in 2019