Solicitor General for New South Wales
| Solicitor General for New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Department of Justice | |
| Appointer | Governor of New South Wales |
| Term length | 10 years |
| Inaugural holder | John Stephen |
| Formation | 8 August 1824 |
| Website | NSW Department of Justice |
Solicitor General for New South Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General. He or she can exercise the powers of the Attorney General in the Attorney General's absence. The Solicitor General acts alongside the Crown Advocate, and Crown Solicitor, and serves as one the legal and constitutional advisers of the Crown and its government in the Australian state of New South Wales.
The Solicitor General is addressed in court as "Mr Solicitor" or ''Ms Solicitor''. Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister, and almost exclusively by QCs or SCs. Previously a political appointment like the Attorney General is today, since 1922 the Solicitor General is now a professional position within the Department of Justice.
Contents
History and function
The Solicitor General operates under the provisions of the Solicitor General Act 1969.[1] Section 2 of the act stipulates that the Solicitor General must be "an Australian lawyer of at least 7 years’ standing" and must not be a Minister of the Crown. The retirement age is set at 72.[1] The Solicitor General acts as Senior Counsel for the Crown in the High Court of Australia and other courts, and advises the Attorney General on civil and criminal matters, including issues of constitutional law.[2] Until 1987, the Solicitor General had the power to initiate Crown appeals at the Court of Criminal Appeal in NSW, it then became the responsibility of the Director of Public Prosecutions.[3]
Office-holders
Solicitors General, 1824–1922
| Ordinal | Solicitor General | Party affiliation | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Stephen[4] | No party | 8 August 1824 – 14 June 1832 |
| 2 | John Plunkett | 14 June 1832 – 16 September 1836 | |
| 3 | William à Beckett[5] | March 1841 – July 1844 | |
| 4 | William Montagu Manning | September 1844 – 5 June 1856 | |
| 5 | John Darvall | 6 June 1856 – 25 August 1856 | |
| 6 | Alfred Lutwyche | 12 September 1856 – 2 October 1856 | |
| – | John Darvall | 3 October 1856 – 23 May 1857 | |
| 7 | Edward Wise | 23 May 1857 – 7 September 1857 | |
| – | Alfred Lutwyche | 7 September 1857 – 14 November 1858 | |
| 8 | William Bede Dalley | 15 November 1858 – 11 February 1859 | |
| 9 | John Hargrave | 21 February 1859 – 8 March 1860 | |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| – | John Hargrave | No party | 1 August 1863 – 15 October 1863 |
| 10 | Peter Faucett | 16 October 1863 – 2 February 1865 | |
| – | John Hargrave | 3 February 1865 – 21 June 1865 | |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | Robert Isaacs | No party | 22 January 1866 – 26 October 1868 |
| 12 | Joshua Josephson | 27 October 1868 – 9 September 1869 | |
| 13 | Julian Salomons | 18 December 1869 – 15 December 1870 | |
| 14 | William Charles Windeyer | 16 December 1870 – 13 May 1872 | |
| 15 | Joseph Innes | 14 May 1872 – 19 November 1873 | |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 16 | Richard O'Connor | Protectionist | 19 July 1893 – 13 September 1893 |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 17 | George Reid | Free Trade | 21 December 1894 – 5 March 1895 |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 18 | John Garland | Liberal Reform | 21 December 1909 – 20 October 1910 |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | David Hall | Labor | 2 April 1912 – 29 June 1913 |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| 20 | William Holman | Labor | 19 January 1915 – 6 February 1915 |
| – | Office not in use | N/A | N/A |
| – | John Garland | Nationalist | 15 November 1916 – 23 July 1919 |
| 21 | John Daniel FitzGerald | 23 July 1919 – 12 April 1920 | |
| 22 | Robert Sproule | Labor | 15 April 1920 – 13 April 1922 |
Solicitors General, 1923–present
| Ordinal | Solicitor General | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Cecil Edward Weigall QC[6] | 27 December 1922 – August 1953 |
| 24 | Harold Snelling QC[7] | August 1953 – September 1974 |
| 25 | Reginald Marr QC | September 1974 – March 1978 |
| 26 | Gregory Sullivan QC | February 1979 – February 1981 |
| 27 | Mary Gaudron QC | 16 February 1981 – February 1987 |
| 28 | Keith Mason QC | February 1987 – February 1998 |
| 29 | Michael Sexton SC | February 1998 – present |
References
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- ↑ C. H. Currey, 'Stephen, John (1771–1833)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/stephen-john-1292/text3775, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 19 September 2015.
- ↑ E. G. Coppel, 'à Beckett, Sir William (1806–1869)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/a-beckett-sir-william-2862/text4079, published first in hardcopy 1969, accessed online 20 September 2015.
- ↑ Keith Mason, 'Weigall, Cecil Edward (1870–1955)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/weigall-cecil-edward-9035/text15913, published first in hardcopy 1990, accessed online 20 September 2015.
- ↑ J. M. Bennett, 'Snelling, Harold Alfred Rush (1904–1979)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/snelling-harold-alfred-rush-11731/text20973, published first in hardcopy 2002, accessed online 20 September 2015.
