The Attorney-General of Australia is the first law officer of the Crown, chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia and a minister of the Crown. The Attorney-General is usually a member of the Federal Cabinet, but need not be. Under the Constitution he or she is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister, and serves at the Governor-General's pleasure. In practice the Attorney-General is a party politician and his or her tenure is determined by political factors.
The Attorney-General administers the Attorney-General's Department, and is the minister responsible for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the OFLC, the government agency responsible for classification of films, literature and video games. The Attorney-General also serves as a general legal adviser to the Cabinet, and has carriage of legislation dealing with copyright, human rights and a range of other subjects.
The Attorney-General is nearly always a person with legal training, and 11 former Attorneys-General have received senior judicial appointments after their ministerial service.
Billy Hughes was the longest-serving Attorney-General of Australia, serving for nearly 11 years over three non-consecutive terms. Since 1987 the Attorney-General has usually been assisted by a Minister for Justice.
Following the 2007 general election, at which Labor's Kevin Rudd defeated the Liberal/National coalition led by John Howard, Robert McClelland replaced Philip Ruddock as Attorney-General on 3 December 2007. He retained this portfolio under the prime ministership of Julia Gillard until 14 December 2011, when he was replaced by Nicola Roxon, who became Australia's first woman to serve as Attorney-General.
Read more about Attorney-General Of Australia: List of Australian Attorneys-General
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