Attorney-General of
South Australia
South Australian Coat of Arms
Flag of South Australia
Incumbent
Kyam Maher
since 24 March 2022
Attorney-General's Department
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports toPremier of South Australia
Seat45 Pirie Street, Adelaide
NominatorPremier of South Australia
AppointerGovernor of South Australia
on the advice of the premier
Term lengthAt the Governor's pleasure
Formation24 October 1856
First holderRichard Hanson
Websitewww.agd.sa.gov.au

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 1 year, 329 days

See also

References

  1. ^ '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)
  2. ^ 'Advertising' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 3 June 1837: 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31749645
  3. ^ '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);
  4. ^ 'MR. GEORGE STEPHEN' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 17 Feb 1838: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31749808
  5. ^ 'Advertising' South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register (Adelaide, SA : 1836 - 1839) 14 Jul 1838: 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31750009
  6. ^ 'OFFICIAL CHANGES & APPOINTMENTS' Adelaide Chronicle and South Australian Advertiser (SA : 1839 - 1840) 31 Mar 1840: 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195859739
  7. ^ 'ERRATA IN "OBSERVER'S" LETTER' South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900) 6 Jan 1849: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50246699
  8. ^ '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)
  9. ^ 'OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS' South Australian Gazette and Mining Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1847 - 1852) 5 Jan 1850: 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195939144
  10. ^ 'Hanson, Richard Davies (1805 - 1876)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume ?, MUP, 1967, pp ??-??. Retrieved on 3 September 2015
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Though not a legislator, Anderson was chosen by premier Butler for the position, as allowed for in the Constitution, being under six months duration.
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