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Attorney General's Department (Australia)

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Formed
  
1901

Attorney-General's Department (Australia)

Jurisdiction
  
Commonwealth of Australia

Employees
  
1,461 (estimate for 2013–14)

Annual budget
  
A$800 million (2011–12)

Minister responsible
  
George Brandis QC, Attorney-General of Australia

Department executive
  
Chris Moraitis PSM, Secretary (2014–)

The Australian Attorney-General's Department is a department of the Government of Australia charged with the responsibility to serve the people of Australia by providing essential expert support to the Government in the maintenance and improvement of Australia's system of law and justice. It is also the central policy and co-coordinating element of the department and its associated agencies.

Contents

The head of the department is the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, currently Chris Moraitis PSM, who reports to the Attorney-General of Australia, currently Senator the Hon. George Brandis QC.

History

The Attorney-General's Department is one of seven original Commonwealth Departments of state, commencing with the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. It is one of only three departments, along with Defence and Treasury, to have operated continuously under their original name and charter since Federation.

Organisation

The department is organised into four groups, each headed by a Deputy Secretary. These Deputy Secretaries report to the Secretary who co-ordinates and devises departmental structure and policy.

These four groups are:

  • Australian Government Solicitor
  • Civil Justice and Corporate Services
  • Criminal Justice
  • National Security and Emergency Management

    • The Attorney-General's Department is located at the Robert Garran Offices, 3-5 National Circuit, Barton in the Australian Capital Territory.

    Departmental Secretary

    On the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Governor-General has appointed the following individuals as Secretary of the department:

    Mission and outcomes

    The mission of the department is "achieving a just and secure society". In pursuing this mission, the department works towards achieving *A just and secure society through the maintenance and improvement of Australia’s law and justice framework and its national security and emergency management system".

    Operational functions

    The Administrative Arrangements Order made on 18 September, following the 2013 federal election, details the following responsibilities to the department:

  • Law and justice including -
  • Administrative law
  • Alternative dispute resolution
  • Bankruptcy
  • Censorship
  • Constitutional law
  • Copyright
  • Courts and tribunals
  • Human rights
  • International law
  • Law reform
  • Legal assistance
  • Legislative drafting
  • Marriage and family law
  • Personal property securities
  • Legal services to the Commonwealth
  • Criminal law and law enforcement
  • National security, protective security policy and co-ordination
  • Protective services at Commonwealth establishments and diplomatic and consular premises in Australia
  • Commonwealth emergency management
  • Natural disaster relief, recovery and mitigation policy and financial assistance including payments to the States and Territories and the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment
  • Administrative support for Royal Commissions and certain other inquiries
  • Critical infrastructure protection co-ordination
  • Privacy
  • Freedom of Information
  • Cultural affairs, including movable cultural heritage and support for the arts
  • Management of government records

    • The department does not provide legal advice to members of the public. While legislative drafting is listed in the Administrative Arrangements Order, the function was taken over by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in July 2012.

    References

    Attorney-General's Department (Australia) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA