Attorney-General of South Australia
- Parliament
- Cabinet
- Executive Council
on the advice of the premier
The attorney-general of South Australia is the Cabinet minister in the Government of South Australia who is responsible for that state's system of law and justice. The attorney-general must be a qualified legal practitioner, although this was not always the case.[citation needed]
The attorney-general oversees the Attorney-General's Department. The current attorney-general since March 2022 is Kyam Maher MP, a member of the South Australian Labor Party.
List of Advocates-General of South Australia (1837 to 1851)
With the establishment of the Province of South Australia, the colony's first First Law Officer Charles Mann was appointed Advocate-General, Crown Solicitor and Public Prosecutor. The appointment as Advocate-General bestowed the office holder with membership of the Council in Government. With the arrival of self government in 1857, the position of Advocate-General became that of Attorney-General.
Advocate-General | Time in Office |
---|---|
Charles Mann[1] | 1837–38[2] |
George Milner Stephen[3] | 1838[4] |
Robert Bernard | 1838–40[5] |
William Smillie | 1840–52[6] |
William Bartley (Acting) | 1849–50[7] |
Charles Mann (Acting)[8] | 1850–51[9] |
Richard Davies Hanson [10] | 1851–57[11] |
List of attorneys-general of South Australia
Ordinal | Attorney-General | Party | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Richard Hanson | 24 October 1856 | 21 August 1857 | ||
2 | Edward Castres Gwynne | 21 August 1857 | 1 September 1857 | ||
3 | Richard Bullock Andrews | 1 September 1857 | 30 September 1857 | ||
– | Richard Hanson | 30 September 1857 | 9 May 1860 | ||
4 | Henry Strangways | 9 May 1860 | 20 May 1861 | ||
5 | Randolph Isham Stow | 20 May 1861 | 8 October 1861 | ||
6 | Henry Gawler | 8 October 1861 | 17 October 1861 | ||
– | Randolph Isham Stow | 17 October 1861 | 4 July 1863 | ||
– | Richard Bullock Andrews | 4 July 1863 | 22 July 1864 | ||
– | Randolph Isham Stow | 22 July 1864 | 22 March 1865 | ||
– | Richard Bullock Andrews | 22 March 1865 | 23 October 1865 | ||
7 | James Boucaut | 23 October 1865 | 3 May 1867 | ||
– | Richard Bullock Andrews | 3 May 1867 | 24 September 1868 | ||
8 | John Tuthill Bagot | 24 September 1868 | 13 October 1868 | ||
– | Richard Bullock Andrews | 13 October 1868 | 3 Nov 1868 | ||
– | Henry Strangways | 3 Nov 1868 | 30 May 1870 | ||
9 | Richard Baker | 30 May 1870 | 21 July 1871 | ||
10 | Charles Mann | 21 July 1871 | 22 January 1872 | ||
– | James Boucaut | 22 January 1872 | 4 March 1872 | ||
11 | George Stevenson | 4 March 1872 | 22 July 1873 | ||
– | Charles Mann | 22 July 1873 | 3 June 1875 | ||
12 | Samuel Way | 3 June 1875 | 23 March 1876 | ||
– | Henry Gawler | 23 March 1876[12] | 25 March 1876[13] | ||
– | Charles Mann | 25 March 1876 | 6 June 1876 | ||
13 | John Cox Bray | 6 June 1876 | 26 October 1877 | ||
– | Charles Mann | 26 October 1877 | 27 September 1878 | ||
14 | William Bundey | 27 September 1878 | 10 March 1881 | ||
15 | Josiah Symon | 10 March 1881 | 24 June 1881 | ||
16 | John Downer | 24 June 1881 | 16 June 1884 | ||
17 | Charles Kingston | 16 June 1884 | 16 June 1885 | ||
– | John Downer | 16 June 1885 | 11 June 1887 | ||
– | Charles Kingston | 11 June 1887 | 27 June 1889 | ||
18 | Beaumont Moulden | 27 June 1889 | 19 March 1890 | ||
19 | Frederick Turner | 31 March 1890 | 2 May 1890 | ||
20 | Henry Downer | 2 May 1890 | 19 August 1890 | ||
21 | Robert Homburg | 19 August 1890 | 21 June 1892 | ||
22 | William Stock | 21 June 1892 | 15 October 1892 | ||
– | Robert Homburg | 15 October 1892 | 16 June 1893 | ||
– | Charles Kingston | 16 June 1893 | 1 December 1899 | ||
23 | Paddy Glynn | 1 December 1899 | 8 December 1899 | ||
24 | John Hannah Gordon | 8 December 1899 | 2 December 1903 | ||
25 | Louis von Doussa | 2 December 1903 | 4 July 1904 | ||
– | Robert Homburg | 4 July 1904 | 24 February 1905 | ||
26 | James R. Anderson[14] | 1 March 1905 | 26 July 1905 | ||
27 | Archibald Peake | Liberal and Democratic Union (LDU) | 26 July 1905 | 5 June 1909 | |
28 | Samuel Mitchell | LDU | 5 June 1909 | 22 December 1909 | |
29 | Hermann Homburg | LDU | 22 December 1909 | 3 June 1910 | |
30 | Bill Denny | United Labor | 3 June 1910 | 17 February 1912 | |
– | Hermann Homburg | Liberal Union | 17 February 1912 | 21 January 1915 | |
31 | Herbert Angas Parsons | Liberal Union | 21 January 1915 | 3 April 1915 | |
32 | John Vaughan | United Labor/Nationals | 3 April 1915 | 14 July 1917 | |
33 | Henry Barwell | Liberal Union | 14 July 1917 | 27 August 1917 | |
– | Archibald Peake | Liberal Union | 27 August 1917 | 29 April 1918 | |
– | Henry Barwell | Liberal Union | 29 April 1918 | 16 April 1924 | |
– | Bill Denny | Labor | 16 April 1924 | 8 April 1927 | |
– | Hermann Homburg | Liberal Federation | 8 April 1927 | 17 April 1930 | |
– | Bill Denny | Labor | 17 April 1930 | 18 April 1933 | |
34 | Shirley Jeffries | Liberal and Country League (LCL) | 18 April 1933 | 6 May 1944 | 11 years, 18 days |
35 | Charles Abbott | LCL | 15 May 1944 | 17 April 1946 | |
36 | Reginald Rudall | LCL | 17 April 1946 | 1 January 1955 | |
37 | Thomas Playford IV | LCL | 6 January 1955 | 6 April 1955 | |
38 | Colin Rowe | LCL | 6 April 1955 | 10 March 1965 | |
39 | Don Dunstan | Labor | 10 March 1965 | 16 April 1968 | |
40 | Robin Millhouse | LCL | 17 April 1968 | 1 June 1970 | |
41 | Len King | Labor | 2 June 1970 | 20 June 1975 | |
– | Don Dunstan | Labor | 20 June 1975 | 9 October 1975 | 111 days |
42 | Peter Duncan | Labor | 9 October 1975 | 15 March 1979 | |
43 | Don Banfield | Labor | 15 March 1979 | 1 May 1979 | |
44 | Chris Sumner | Labor | 1 May 1979 | 18 September 1979 | |
45 | Trevor Griffin | Liberal | 18 September 1979 | 10 November 1982 | |
– | Chris Sumner | Labor | 10 November 1982 | 14 December 1993 | |
– | Trevor Griffin | Liberal | 14 December 1993 | 4 December 2001 | |
46 | Robert Lawson | Liberal | 4 December 2001 | 5 March 2002 | |
47 | Michael Atkinson | Labor | 5 March 2002 | 30 June 2003 | |
48 | Paul Holloway | Labor | 30 June 2003 | 29 August 2003 | |
– | Michael Atkinson | Labor | 29 August 2003 | 25 March 2010 | |
49 | John Rau | Labor | 25 March 2010 | 19 March 2018 | |
50 | Vickie Chapman [1st female] | Liberal | 19 March 2018 | 21 March 2022 | 4 years, 2 days |
51 | Kyam Maher | Labor | 24 March 2022 | incumbent | 2 years, 150 days |
See also
References
- ^ 'Mann, Charles (1799 - 1860)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, MUP, 1967, pp 201-202. Retrieved on 3 September 2015; Castles, A and Harris, M, Lawmakers and Wayward Whigs (Wakefield Press, 1987)
- ^ 'Advertising' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 3 June 1837: 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31749645
- ^ 'Stephen, George Milner (1812 - 1894)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume ?, MUP, 1967, pp ??-??. Retrieved on 28 August 2014; Castles, A and Harris, M, Lawmakers and Wayward Whigs (Wakefield Press, 1987);
- ^ 'MR. GEORGE STEPHEN' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 17 Feb 1838: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31749808
- ^ 'Advertising' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 14 Jul 1838: 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31750009
- ^ 'OFFICIAL CHANGES & APPOINTMENTS' Adelaide Chronicle and South Australian Advertiser (SA : 1839 - 1840) 31 Mar 1840: 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195859739
- ^ 'ERRATA IN "OBSERVER'S" LETTER' South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900) 6 Jan 1849: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50246699
- ^ 'Mann, Charles (1799 - 1860)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, MUP, 1967, pp 201-202. Retrieved on 3 September 2015; Castles, A and Harris, M, Lawmakers and Wayward Whigs (Wakefield Press, 1987)
- ^ 'OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS' South Australian Gazette and Mining Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1847 - 1852) 5 Jan 1850: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195939144
- ^ 'Hanson, Richard Davies (1805 - 1876)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume ?, MUP, 1967, pp ??-??. Retrieved on 3 September 2015
- ^ Hanson originally acted in the role until Smillie's death in December 1852 whereupon he was appointed the provinces last Advocate-General. In 1857, Hanson became South Australia's first Attorney-General upon the province achieving the right of responsible government. 'THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE' South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900) 18 Jul 1851: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38449569; Ralph M Hague, History of the Law in South Australia 1837-1867 (University of Adelaide Barr Smith Press 2005), 719
- ^ "The Government Gazette". South Australian Register. Vol. XLI, no. 9160. South Australia. 24 March 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 20 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Government Gazette Extra-dinary". The South Australian Advertiser. Vol. XVIII, no. 5440. South Australia. 27 March 1876. p. 6. Retrieved 20 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Though not a legislator, Anderson was chosen by premier Butler for the position, as allowed for in the Constitution, being under six months duration.
- Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836 – 2007
- List of Australian Attorneys-General (Australian Parliamentary Library)
- Former Members of the Parliament of South Australia (Parliament of South Australia)