29 November 2021

Cash reappoints Commonwealth Solicitor-General

| Ian Bushnell
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Dr Stephen Donoghue

Solicitor-General Dr Stephen Donaghue. Photo: University of Melbourne.

Dr Stephen Donaghue QC has been reappointed as the Commonwealth Solicitor-General for another five-year term.

Attorney-General Michaela Cash made the announcement on Friday and congratulated him on his reappointment.

“Dr Donaghue has served the Commonwealth ably as Solicitor-General, both appearing before the courts in significant litigation and providing trusted advice on key government policies,” Senator Cash said.

“He has also played an active role in identifying, raising and managing matters of whole-of-government legal risk, including through his role on the Significant Legal Issues Committee.”

The Solicitor-General is the second Law Officer of the Commonwealth and the principal legal counsel to the Australian Government.

In addition to leading the Commonwealth in significant matters before the courts, the Solicitor-General provides advice to the Australian Government on questions of law as they arise, particularly on constitutional and other public law matters.

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Dr Donaghue holds a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne.

Prior to his appointment as Solicitor-General, Dr Donaghue practised as a barrister after being called to the Victorian Bar in 2001. He took silk in 2011.

Dr Donaghue replaced Justin Gleeson SC, who resigned in 2016 after a falling out with the then Attorney-General George Brandis.

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