# Attorney-General of South Australia

The attorney-general of South Australia is the Cabinet minister in the Government of South Australia who is responsible for that state's system of law and justice. The attorney-general must be a qualified legal practitioner, although this was not always the case.
The attorney-general oversees the Attorney-General's Department. The current attorney-general since March 2022 is Kyam Maher MP, a member of the South Australian Labor Party.

## List of Advocates-General of South Australia (1837 to 1851)

With the establishment of the Province of South Australia, the colony's first First Law Officer Charles Mann was appointed Advocate-General, Crown Solicitor and Public Prosecutor. The appointment as Advocate-General bestowed the office holder with membership of the Council in Government. With the arrival of self government in 1857, the position of Advocate-General became that of Attorney-General.
| Advocate-General | Time in Office |
| Charles Mann | 1837–38 |
| George Milner Stephen | 1838 |
| Robert Bernard | 1838–40 |
| William Smillie | 1840–52 |
| William Bartley (Acting) | 1849–50 |
| Charles Mann (Acting) | 1850–51 |
| Richard Davies Hanson | 1851–57 |

## List of attorneys-general of South Australia

| Ordinal | Attorney-General | Party | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| 1 | Richard Hanson | | 24 October 1856 | 21 August 1857 | |
| 2 | Edward Castres Gwynne | | 21 August 1857 | 1 September 1857 | |
| 3 | Richard Bullock Andrews | | 1 September 1857 | 30 September 1857 | |
| – | Richard Hanson | | 30 September 1857 | 9 May 1860 | |
| 4 | Henry Strangways | | 9 May 1860 | 20 May 1861 | |
| 5 | Randolph Isham Stow | | 20 May 1861 | 8 October 1861 | |
| 6 | Henry Gawler | | 8 October 1861 | 17 October 1861 | |
| – | Randolph Isham Stow | | 17 October 1861 | 4 July 1863 | |
| – | Richard Bullock Andrews | | 4 July 1863 | 22 July 1864 | |
| – | Randolph Isham Stow | | 22 July 1864 | 22 March 1865 | |
| – | Richard Bullock Andrews | | 22 March 1865 | 23 October 1865 | |
| 7 | James Boucaut | | 23 October 1865 | 3 May 1867 | |
| – | Richard Bullock Andrews | | 3 May 1867 | 24 September 1868 | |
| 8 | John Tuthill Bagot | | 24 September 1868 | 13 October 1868 | |
| – | Richard Bullock Andrews | | 13 October 1868 | 3 Nov 1868 | |
| – | Henry Strangways | | 3 Nov 1868 | 30 May 1870 | |
| 9 | Richard Baker | | 30 May 1870 | 21 July 1871 | |
| 10 | Charles Mann | | 21 July 1871 | 22 January 1872 | |
| – | James Boucaut | | 22 January 1872 | 4 March 1872 | |
| 11 | George Stevenson | | 4 March 1872 | 22 July 1873 | |
| – | Charles Mann | | 22 July 1873 | 3 June 1875 | |
| 12 | Samuel Way | | 3 June 1875 | 23 March 1876 | |
| – | Henry Gawler | | 23 March 1876 | 25 March 1876 |
| – | Charles Mann | | 25 March 1876 | 6 June 1876 | |
| 13 | John Cox Bray | | 6 June 1876 | 26 October 1877 | |
| – | Charles Mann | | 26 October 1877 | 27 September 1878 | |
| 14 | William Bundey | | 27 September 1878 | 10 March 1881 | |
| 15 | Josiah Symon | | 10 March 1881 | 24 June 1881 | |
| 16 | John Downer | | 24 June 1881 | 16 June 1884 | |
| 17 | Charles Kingston | | 16 June 1884 | 16 June 1885 | |
| – | John Downer | | 16 June 1885 | 11 June 1887 | |
| – | Charles Kingston | | 11 June 1887 | 27 June 1889 | |
| 18 | Beaumont Moulden | | 27 June 1889 | 19 March 1890 | |
| 19 | Frederick Turner | | 31 March 1890 | 2 May 1890 | |
| 20 | Henry Downer | | 2 May 1890 | 19 August 1890 | |
| 21 | Robert Homburg | | 19 August 1890 | 21 June 1892 | |
| 22 | William Stock | | 21 June 1892 | 15 October 1892 | |
| – | Robert Homburg | | 15 October 1892 | 16 June 1893 | |
| – | Charles Kingston | | 16 June 1893 | 1 December 1899 | |
| 23 | Paddy Glynn | | 1 December 1899 | 8 December 1899 | |
| 24 | John Hannah Gordon | | 8 December 1899 | 2 December 1903 | |
| 25 | Louis von Doussa | | 2 December 1903 | 4 July 1904 | |
| – | Robert Homburg | | 4 July 1904 | 24 February 1905 | |
| 26 | James R. Anderson | | 1 March 1905 | 26 July 1905 | |
| 27 | Archibald Peake | Liberal and Democratic Union (LDU) | 26 July 1905 | 5 June 1909 | |
| 28 | Samuel Mitchell | LDU | 5 June 1909 | 22 December 1909 | |
| 29 | Hermann Homburg | LDU | 22 December 1909 | 3 June 1910 | |
| 30 | Bill Denny | United Labor | 3 June 1910 | 17 February 1912 | |
| – | Hermann Homburg | Liberal Union | 17 February 1912 | 21 January 1915 | |
| 31 | Herbert Angas Parsons | Liberal Union | 21 January 1915 | 3 April 1915 | |
| 32 | John Vaughan | United Labor/Nationals | 3 April 1915 | 14 July 1917 | |
| 33 | Henry Barwell | Liberal Union | 14 July 1917 | 27 August 1917 | |
| – | Archibald Peake | Liberal Union | 27 August 1917 | 29 April 1918 | |
| – | Henry Barwell | Liberal Union | 29 April 1918 | 16 April 1924 | |
| – | Bill Denny | Labor | 16 April 1924 | 8 April 1927 | |
| – | Hermann Homburg | Liberal Federation | 8 April 1927 | 17 April 1930 | |
| – | Bill Denny | Labor | 17 April 1930 | 18 April 1933 | |
| 34 | Shirley Jeffries | Liberal and Country League (LCL) | 18 April 1933 | 6 May 1944 | 11 years, 18 days |
| 35 | Charles Abbott | LCL | 15 May 1944 | 17 April 1946 | |
| 36 | Reginald Rudall | LCL | 17 April 1946 | 1 January 1955 | |
| 37 | Thomas Playford IV | LCL | 6 January 1955 | 6 April 1955 | |
| 38 | Colin Rowe | LCL | 6 April 1955 | 10 March 1965 | |
| 39 | Don Dunstan | Labor | 10 March 1965 | 16 April 1968 | |
| 40 | Robin Millhouse | LCL | 17 April 1968 | 1 June 1970 | |
| 41 | Len King | Labor | 2 June 1970 | 20 June 1975 | |
| – | Don Dunstan | Labor | 20 June 1975 | 9 October 1975 | 111 days |
| 42 | Peter Duncan | Labor | 9 October 1975 | 15 March 1979 | |
| 43 | Don Banfield | Labor | 15 March 1979 | 1 May 1979 | |
| 44 | Chris Sumner | Labor | 1 May 1979 | 18 September 1979 | |
| 45 | Trevor Griffin | Liberal | 18 September 1979 | 10 November 1982 | |
| – | Chris Sumner | Labor | 10 November 1982 | 14 December 1993 | |
| – | Trevor Griffin | Liberal | 14 December 1993 | 4 December 2001 | |
| 46 | Robert Lawson | Liberal | 4 December 2001 | 5 March 2002 | |
| 47 | Michael Atkinson | Labor | 5 March 2002 | 30 June 2003 | |
| 48 | Paul Holloway | Labor | 30 June 2003 | 29 August 2003 | |
| – | Michael Atkinson | Labor | 29 August 2003 | 25 March 2010 | |
| 49 | John Rau | Labor | 25 March 2010 | 19 March 2018 | |
| 50 | Vickie Chapman [1st female] | Liberal | 19 March 2018 | 21 March 2022 | 4 years, 2 days |
| 51 | Kyam Maher | Labor | 24 March 2022 | incumbent | 2 years, 361 days |