The Australian Government has made changes to functions overseen by the Attorney-General's Department and Department of Home Affairs. These changes involve the transfers of:

  • identity and biometrics functions into the Attorney-General's Department
  • protective security policy and government and major event security functions to the Department of Home Affairs.

Standing Council of Attorneys-General

About the Standing Council of Attorneys-General

The Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG) comprises Attorneys-General from the Australian Government, all states and territories, and the New Zealand Minister for Justice. Its purpose is to implement a national and trans-Tasman focus on maintaining and promoting best practice in law reform.

SCAG convenes quarterly.

On 12 August 2022, members agreed to change the name of the forum from the Meeting of Attorneys-General to the Standing Council of Attorneys-General, to better reflect the governance and operation of ministerial level meetings.

Communiqués

Read communiqués from SCAG

Meeting of Attorneys-General

The Meeting of Attorneys-General (MAG) is the predecessor body to SCAG. The MAG met annually. Read the MAG meeting communiques.

Council of Attorneys-General

The Council of Attorneys-General (CAG) met up to twice a year, including a joint meeting with the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management. Meeting communiqués are available on the TROVE website.

Secretariat contact details

You can contact the SCAG Secretariat by:

Related websites

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
NSW Department of Communities and Justice
Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety
The Federation website