4.2 Attorney-General's Portfolio

The Attorney-General’s Portfolio has a primary focus on law and justice, arts and home affairs. Legal agencies and programmes cover law enforcement, federal courts and tribunals, legal aid, human rights, insolvency and native title. Arts and cultural development programmes were recently transferred to the portfolio. These programmes are focused on increasing access to the arts in regional and remote Australia through supporting community and cultural activities and also support for skills development. Home affairs incorporates disaster relief, emergency co-ordination and assistance and payments to Australian victims of terrorism overseas.

The Attorney-General administers 173 pieces of legislation ranging from the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, to the Witness Protection Act 1994.

The portfolio receives total resourcing of $4.5 billion, of which $3.5 billion is departmental funding and $1.1 billion is administered funding. More than 15,700 people are employed in the portfolio. In addition to the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD), with funding of $1.2 billion and over 1,600 staff, the portfolio includes 17 law and justice agencies and 13 arts agencies.

The size of these agencies varies considerably, ranging from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with nearly a third of the portfolio funding and over 6,400 staff (41 per cent of the portfolio total) to the Australian Law Reform Commission, with funding of $2.9 million and 16 staff.

Other significant law and justice agencies include the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), with 10 per cent of funding and 11 per cent of staff, and the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) with 2 per cent of funding and 3 per cent of staff.

The Family Court and Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia are also significant organisations with collectively about 6 per cent of portfolio funding and 8 per cent of portfolio staff.

The major arts agencies include the Australia Council (5 per cent of portfolio funding and just under 1 per cent of portfolio staff); Screen Australia (2.4 per cent of portfolio funding and less than 1 per cent of portfolio staff); and the National Library of Australia (1.6 per cent of portfolio funding and nearly 3 per cent of portfolio staff).

Source: Department of Finance. 2013-14 Budget updated for machinery of government changes.
(1) As individual entity resourcing includes inter-agency transfers and payments, total resourcing for the portfolio may be overstated by this amount.

Chart 4.2.1 is a graphical representation of the relative size of bodies within the Attorney-General's Portfolio.