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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-27 Daily Xml
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OFFICE OF CROWN ADVOCATE

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:47): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can he inform the house about the recent appointment of the state's first Crown Advocate?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Tourism) (14:48): Members may be interested to know that the Office of Crown Advocate has recently been appointed in the Crown Solicitor's Office, and an appointment to that position has now been made. Before I explain who the appointment is, I think it might be of interest for people to know—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Yes, I want to leave that until last.

An honourable member: It's not Atko, is it?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It is not the member for Croydon, no. This appointment has followed a merit-based selection process in which the chief executive of my department and the Crown Solicitor were involved. The person appointed is Mr Michael Evans QC. His position will commence as of 15 November 2010.

His role will be in specialised in-house counsel work for the Crown, and it will involve, in some respects, taking over a number of proceedings which would otherwise have been out there in the private domain, some of which he has worked on in the past for the state and others which are unrelated to matters which he has worked on earlier. He will also provide other senior counsel assistance to the Crown in major civil litigation around the state. He will also provide high-level advice within the department and leadership for a team of lawyers within the Crown Solicitor's Office.

This position will complement beautifully the positions which already exist of the Solicitor-General and the Crown Solicitor. I have to say that, as Attorney, I am delighted to have Mr Evans make himself available to assist the Crown in this way. and it is part and parcel of an effort by me and those within the Crown to see that the Crown is properly regarded not only by people in the community generally but by the legal profession—and, indeed, government—as being a place of excellence where people of talent in the legal profession may aspire to go to work and to be proud to have that as part of their CV. Mr Evans will contribute significantly to that.

For those members who do not know, Mr Evans has been a legal practitioner since 1981, he has practised at the independent bar since 1991 and he was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008. As I said, he has often appeared for the Crown. Can I say, again, on behalf of the department, that I am delighted to have Mr Evans make himself available to do this important work. I think that all of us in this place and, indeed, those associated with the government, should be very pleased to have a person of his calibre on board.

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