Attorney-General of Victoria
Victorian Coat of arms
Flag of Victoria
Incumbent
Jaclyn Symes
since 22 December 2020
Department of Justice and Community Safety
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports toPremier of Victoria
SeatLevel 26, 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
NominatorPremier of Victoria
AppointerGovernor of Victoria
on the advice of the premier
Term lengthAt the governor's pleasure
Formation15 Jul 1851
First holderSir William Stawell
DeputySolicitor-General
Websitewww.justice.vic.gov.au

The Attorney-General of Victoria, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for Victoria,[1] is a minister in the Government of Victoria, Australia. The Attorney-General is a senior minister in the state government and the First Law Officer of the State.

The current Attorney-General of Victoria has, since December 2020, been Jaclyn Symes of the Australian Labor Party. The Attorney-General is one of the ministers who administer parts of the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, with responsibility for the state's courts and tribunals.

Bill Slater served as Attorney-General of Victoria 6 separate times and Arthur Rylah holds the record for the longest term of 11 years and 334 days.

Colonial Victoria

Order MP[2] Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 William Stawell MP 15 July 1851 25 February 1857 5 years, 225 days [3][4][5]
2 Thomas Fellows MP 25 February 1857 11 March 1857 14 days [4]
3 Henry Samuel Chapman^ 11 March 1857 29 April 1857 49 days [6]
4 Archibald Michie MP 29 April 1857 10 March 1858 315 days [7]
(3) Henry Samuel Chapman MP 10 March 1858 27 October 1859 1 year, 231 days [8]
5 John Wood MP 27 October 1859 26 November 1860 1 year, 30 days [9]
6 Richard Davies Ireland MP 26 November 1860 29 July 1861 245 days [10]
7 Butler Cole Aspinall MP 29 July 1861 14 November 1861 108 days
(6) Richard Davies Ireland MP 14 November 1861 27 June 1863 1 year, 225 days [11]
8 George Higinbotham MP 27 June 1863 6 May 1868 4 years, 314 days [12]
9 Morgan McDonnell MP 6 May 1868 11 July 1868 66 days [13]
10 George Paton Smith MP 11 July 1868 20 September 1869 1 year, 71 days [14]
(9) Morgan McDonnell MP 20 September 1869 9 April 1870 201 days [15]
(4) Archibald Michie MP 9 April 1870 19 June 1871 1 year, 71 days [16]
11 Robert Walsh MP 5 July 1871 10 June 1872 341 days [17]
12 James Stephen MP 10 June 1872 1 May 1874 1 year, 325 days [18]
13 George Kerferd MP 2 May 1874 7 August 1875 1 year, 97 days [18][19]
14 Robert Le Poer Trench^ 9 August 1875 20 October 1875 72 days [20][21]
(13) George Kerferd MP 20 October 1875 21 May 1877 1 year, 213 days [22]
(14) Robert Le Poer Trench^ 22 May 1877 27 March 1878 309 days [23]
15 Bryan O'Loghlen MP 27 March 1878 5 March 1880 1 year, 344 days [23][24]
(13) George Kerferd MP 5 March 1880 3 August 1880 151 days [25]
16 William Vale MP 3 August 1880 9 July 1881 340 days [26]
(15) Bryan O'Loghlen MP 9 July 1881 8 March 1883 1 year, 242 days [27]
(13) George Kerferd MP 8 March 1883 1 January 1886 2 years, 299 days [28]
17 Henry Wrixon MP 18 February 1886 5 November 1890 4 years, 260 days [29]
18 William Shiels MP 5 November 1890 16 February 1892 1 year, 103 days [30]
19 John Gavan Duffy MP 16 February 1892 28 April 1892 72 days [31]
(18) William Shiels MP 28 April 1892 23 January 1893 270 days
(15) Bryan O'Loghlen MP 23 January 1893 27 September 1894 1 year, 247 days [32]
20 Isaac Isaacs MP 27 September 1894 5 December 1899 5 years, 69 days [33]
21 William Irvine MP 5 December 1899 19 November 1900 349 days [34]
(20) Isaac Isaacs MP 19 November 1900 4 June 1901 197 days [35][36]
22 Samuel Gillott MP 4 June 1901 10 June 1902 1 year, 6 days [36]

Post-federation

Order MP[2] Party affiliation Term start Term end Time in office Notes
(21) William Irvine MP Reform 10 June 1902 7 September 1903 1 year, 89 days [37]
23 John Mark Davies MLC 7 September 1903 8 January 1909 5 years, 123 days [38][39]
24 James Drysdale Brown MLC Commonwealth Liberal 8 January 1909 9 December 1913 4 years, 335 days [40][41]
25 William Evans MLC Labor 9 December 1913 22 December 1913 13 days [42]
26 Donald Mackinnon MP Commonwealth Liberal 22 December 1913 9 November 1915 1 year, 322 days [43][44]
27 Harry Lawson MP 9 November 1915 29 November 1917 2 years, 20 days [44]
28 Agar Wynne MP Nationalist 29 November 1917 21 March 1918 112 days [45]
(27) Harry Lawson MP 21 March 1918 21 October 1919 1 year, 214 days [46]
29 Arthur Robinson MLC 21 October 1919 11 July 1924 4 years, 264 days [46][47]
30 Henry Cohen MLC 11 July 1924 18 July 1924 7 days [47]
31 Bill Slater MP Labor 18 July 1924 18 November 1924 123 days [48]
32 Frederic Eggleston MP Nationalist 18 November 1924 28 April 1927 2 years, 161 days [49]
33 John Allan MP Country 28 April 1927 20 May 1927 22 days
(31) Bill Slater MP Labor 20 May 1927 22 November 1928 1 year, 186 days [50]
34 Ian Macfarlan MP Nationalist 22 November 1928 12 December 1929 1 year, 20 days [51][52]
(31) Bill Slater MP Labor 12 December 1929 19 May 1932 2 years, 159 days [53]
35 Robert Menzies MP United Australia Party 19 May 1932 25 July 1934 2 years, 67 days [54]
(34) Ian Macfarlan MP 25 July 1934 2 April 1935 251 days
36 Albert Bussau MP United Country 2 April 1935 18 April 1938 3 years, 16 days [55]
37 Henry Bailey MP 26 April 1938 14 September 1943 5 years, 141 days [56][55]
(31) Bill Slater MP Labor 14 September 1943 18 September 1943 4 days [57]
(34) Ian Macfarlan MP United Australia Party 18 September 1943 21 November 1945 2 years, 64 days [58][59]
(31) Bill Slater MP Labor 21 November 1945 20 November 1947 1 year, 364 days [60]
38 Trevor Oldham MP Liberal 20 November 1947 27 June 1950 2 years, 219 days [61]
39 Tom Mitchell MP Country 27 June 1950 28 October 1952 2 years, 123 days [62]
40 Thomas Hollway MP Electoral Reform League 28 October 1952 31 October 1952 3 days [63]
(39) Tom Mitchell MP Country 31 October 1952 17 December 1952 47 days [64][65]
(31) Bill Slater MLC Labor 17 December 1952 7 June 1955 2 years, 172 days [66]
41 William Leggatt MP Liberal Country Party 7 June 1955 8 June 1955 1 day [67]
42 Arthur Rylah MP 8 June 1955 9 May 1967 11 years, 335 days
43 George Reid MP 9 May 1967 30 May 1973 6 years, 21 days [67][68]
44 Vernon Wilcox MP Liberal 30 May 1973 31 March 1976 2 years, 306 days [68]
45 Alan Hunt MLC 31 March 1976 6 May 1976 36 days
46 Haddon Storey MLC 6 May 1976 8 April 1982 5 years, 337 days [68][69]
47 John Cain MP Labor 8 April 1982 8 September 1983 1 year, 153 days [70]
48 Jim Kennan MLC 8 September 1983 14 December 1987 4 years, 97 days
49 Andrew McCutcheon MP 14 December 1987 2 April 1990 2 years, 109 days [70][71]
(48) Jim Kennan MP 2 April 1990 6 October 1992 2 years, 187 days [71][72]
50 Jan Wade MP Liberal 6 October 1992 20 October 1999 7 years, 14 days [73]
51 Rob Hulls MP Labor 20 October 1999 2 December 2010 11 years, 43 days [74][75]
52 Robert Clark MP Liberal 2 December 2010 4 December 2014 4 years, 2 days [76][77]
53 Martin Pakula MP Labor 4 December 2014 29 November 2018 3 years, 360 days [78]
54 Jill Hennessy MP 29 November 2018 16 December 2020 2 years, 17 days
55 Jaclyn Symes MLC 22 December 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 135 days [78][79]

See also

References

  1. ^ See, e.g., Bullivant v Attorney-General for Victoria [1900] AC 196; Ryan v Attorney General for Victoria [1967] VR 514
  2. ^ a b O'Neill, Patrick; Lorimer, Catherine; Downing, Pauline. "List of Australian Attorneys-Generals". www.aph.gov.au. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  3. ^ Lonsdale, William (15 July 1851). "Official Appointments". Victoria Government Gazette. Victorian Government Printer. p. 1851:80. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Haines1". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. ^ Haines, William (26 February 1857). "Chief Justice of Victoria". Victoria Government Gazette. Victorian Government Printer. p. 1857:361. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  6. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Oshannassy1". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  7. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Haines2". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  8. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Oshannassy2". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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  43. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Watt2". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  44. ^ a b Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Peacock2". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  45. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Ministries - Bowser". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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