Attorney-General's Department

We are seeking your views to better understand the feasibility and benefits of introducing a proposed Minimal Asset Procedure in the Australian personal insolvency system. The Minimal Asset Procedure would allow people with unmanageable debt to clear their debts in circumstances where they have no assets available for sale, and whose bankruptcies would result in no returns to creditors. We are keen to hear from members of the public, particularly small business and consumer advocates, insolvency practitioners, creditor groups, debt collector bodies and peak industry organisations. Submissions close on 29 July 2024. Visit our website for more information and to make a submission: https://lnkd.in/gpun2X2Z

From 12 to 13 June, the Office of the Attorney General in Tonga hosted the Legal Policy Development Course (LPD), with support from the Australian High Commission in Tonga and our Pacific Branch.   Representatives from over 15 Tongan government ministries and agencies participated in the training to assist building capability in developing public policy proposals.   Over two days, facilitators Ms ‘Akanesi Katoa from the Office of the Attorney General, and Mr ‘Inoke Finau from Tonga Police, led participants through a case study of a hypothetical policy problem which highlighted the seven steps for effective policy development. Both Ms Katoa and Mr Finau are Policy Champions Alumni.   We thank the Office of the Attorney General for hosting the course and their ongoing collaboration on law and justice initiatives in Tonga.   Read more about the course on our website: https://lnkd.in/gcwHjqKf

The Australian Government takes fraud and corruption extremely seriously. The new Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework is an important part of the government’s reforms to improve standards of integrity across the public sector. Based on best practice and with a focus on prevention, the new framework will support more proactive and targeted measures to minimise the serious harms fraud and corruption causes for the community and the public sector. Preventing fraud and corruption benefits all of us, and we all have a role to play. Visit counterfraud.gov.au for more information.

From 12 to 14 June, we attended and sponsored the biennial Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) National Conference held in Melbourne. This year's event attracted over 700 key researchers, policy-makers, service providers and practitioners from Australia and internationally. The main focus of the 2024 conference was 'Families Thriving? Asking big questions. Influencing change.' The conference covered a large range of topics and provided an opportunity to reflect on how best to support Australian families in the work that we do. The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC MP, delivered a keynote address which discussed reforms to the Family Law Act and Information Sharing Act, review of the Family Relationships Services Program and work underway to end family, domestic and sexual violence. Visit our website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g9F-j4ex

It was a privilege to engage with dedicated young people with lived experience and advocates working to keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse over the 2 days of the #NationalChildSafetyYouthSummit.   Day 2 saw some great discussions on early intervention and prevention, trauma-informed approaches to making and receiving disclosures, and addressing gaps in information and resources for children and young people.   Thank you to our inspiring panel who spoke about supporting advocates to elevate their voices and make change. We were also joined by Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC MP and Minister for Youth, Dr. Anne Aly MP who spoke about the Government’s commitment to child safety and the importance of hearing from children and young people.   Visit ChildSafety.gov.au for more information about our work.

The Federal Court of Australia wishes to congratulate Ms Jane Needham SC and Mr Stephen McDonald SC who have been appointed as Judges of the Federal Court of Australia.     Ms Needham will commence on 5 July 2024 in the New South Wales registry.    Mr McDonald will commence on 8 July 2024 in the South Australian registry.    For more information, see the Attorney-General's media release: https://lnkd.in/gDkwrMQy    #fca #appointments

During May, the department hosted a joint workshop alongside the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Behavioural Insights Hub (UNOCT BI Hub) on Behavioural Insights in Counter-Terrorism. The 3-day workshop engaged 40 participants from Australian federal, state, and territory law enforcement and security agencies. Participants discussed opportunities to integrate behavioural insights into counter-terrorism initiatives to foster safer and more resilient communities in Australia. The workshop explored the application of behavioural science in areas of community resilience, online radicalisation, and behavioural analysis, and highlighted the unique challenges faced by counter-terrorism efforts in Australia. Josh Martin, a behavioural design expert, outlined UNOCT’s behavioural mapping that aims to identify earlier intervention points to prevent violent extremism. This workshop was an important opportunity to dive deeper into the complex dynamics between human behaviour and counter-terrorism policy design. Pictured below: Josh Martin, behavioural design expert for UNOCT’s BI Hub, delivering the workshops’ introductory session on Behavioural Insights in Counter-Terrorism. Learn more about how you can help contribute to improving national security: https://lnkd.in/enfwe9X

This is the last week to have your say on our second stage consultation on reforms to Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime. We want to hear from you to help inform these reforms and strengthen regulations to help protect the Australian community and businesses from criminal exploitation. Learn more and visit our consultation hub: https://lnkd.in/gNP5EB4u Consultation closes 5:00 pm AEST Thursday 13 June 2024.

From 13 to 16 May, we attended and sponsored Family & Relationship Services Australia National Conference held in Melbourne. The conference is one of Australia’s largest annual gatherings of practitioners, academics and policy makers working to support children, families and communities. The conference provided an important opportunity for senior department officials to engage with the sector on key initiatives to improve outcomes for children and families. The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC MP, delivered a virtual keynote address which highlighted changes to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) that commenced on 6 May 2024, and the review of the Family Relationship Services Program. Visit our website for more information on family law: https://lnkd.in/gWpisWap

The Australian Government is seeking applications from suitably qualified people for appointment as the inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner. The Commissioner and their Office will be a new independent pillar of Australia’s comprehensive response to modern slavery strengthening Australia’s response to a range of exploitative practices including trafficking in persons, forced marriage and forced labour. Applications close at 11:59 pm AEST on Sunday 30 June 2024. Learn more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gRmZXU-s.