Attorney-General's Department (Australia)
The Attorney-General's Department is an Australian Government Department. Its role is 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 Attorney-General's portfolio for which the Attorney-General and Minister for Home Affairs are responsible.
The current secretary of the department is Roger Wilkins AO and the current Attorney-General is The Hon Nicola Roxon MP. The Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Emergency Management is The Hon Robert McClelland MP. The Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice is The Hon Jason Clare MP. The Minister Assisting on Queensland Floods Recovery is The Hon Senator Joe Ludwig.
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[edit] 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 3 departments, along with Defence and Treasury, to have operated continuously under their original name and charter since Federation.[1]
[edit] Organisation
The Department is organised into three groups, each headed by a Deputy Secretary. These Deputy Secretaries report to the Secretary who co-ordinates and devises departmental structure and policy.
These three groups are:
- Civil Justice and Legal Services
- National Security and Criminal Justice
- Strategic Policy and Coordination
The Attorney-General's Department is located at the Robert Garran Offices, 3-5 National Circuit, Barton in the ACT.
[edit] Mission and outcomes
The Attorney-General's Department mission is "achieving a just and secure society". In pursuing this mission, the Department works towards achieving one outcome:
- 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
The Department's responsibilities include:[2]
- Law and justice
- Administrative law
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Bankruptcy
- Censorship
- Constitutional law
- Copyright
- Courts and tribunals
- Human rights
- Indigenous law and justice programs
- International law
- Law reform
- Legal assistance
- Legislative drafting
- Marriage and family law
- Native Title
- Personal property securities
- Legal services to the Commonwealth
- Criminal law and law enforcement
- Customs and border control other than quarantine and inspection, and immigration
- 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
- Critical infrastructure protection co-ordination
The Department does not provide legal advice to members of the public.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cornall, Robert (2 November 2007), Redefining the role of Government lawyers in today's Public Service – ACLA National Conference 2007, http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/AbouttheDepartment_Speeches_2007_RedefiningtheroleofGovernmentlawyersintodaysPublicService-ACLANationalConference2007, retrieved 6 April 2011
- ^ http://www.dpmc.gov.au/parliamentary/docs/aao_20101014.pdf
