Editing Attorney general (section)

===Australia===
{{main|Attorney-General of Australia}}
In [[Australia]], the [[Attorney-General for Australia|attorney-general]] is the chief law officer of [[King of Australia|the Crown]] and a member of the [[Cabinet of Australia|Cabinet]]. The Attorney-General is the minister responsible for legal affairs, national and public security, and the [[Australian Security Intelligence Organisation]]. [[Mark Dreyfus]] is the current Attorney-General. The Australian states each have separate [[Attorney-General for Australia|attorneys-general]], who are state ministers with similar responsibilities to the federal minister with respect to state law.

Functions of the state and federal attorneys-general include the administration of the selection of persons for nomination to judicial posts, and authorizing prosecutions. In normal circumstances, the prosecutorial powers of the attorney-general are exercised by the [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] and staff; however, the attorney-general maintains formal control, including the power to initiate and terminate public prosecutions and take over private prosecutions. Statutory criminal law provides that prosecutions for certain offences require the individual consent of the attorney-general. This is generally for offences whose illegality is of a somewhat controversial nature or where there is perceived to be a significant risk that prosecutions of a political nature may be embarked upon. The Attorney-General also generally has the power to issue certificates legally conclusive of certain facts (e.g., that the revelation of certain matters in court proceedings might constitute a risk to national security); the facts stated in such certificates must be accepted by the courts and cannot legally be disputed by any parties. The Attorney-General also has the power to issue a ''[[nolle prosequi]]'' with respect to a case, which authoritatively determines that the state (in whose name prosecutions are brought) does not wish to prosecute the case, so preventing any person from doing so.

For the attorneys-general of the various [[states and territories of Australia]] see:
* [[Attorney-General of the Australian Capital Territory]]
* [[Attorney-General of New South Wales]]
* [[Attorney-General of the Northern Territory]]
* [[Attorney-General of Queensland]]
* [[Attorney-General of South Australia]]
* [[Attorney-General of Tasmania]]
* [[Attorney-General of Victoria]]
* [[Attorney-General of Western Australia]]