Michael Lavarch

Michael Hugh Lavarch (born 8 June 1961) is an Australian lawyer, educator and former politician. He was the Attorney-General of Australia between 1993 and 1996, and since 2004 has been Dean and Professor of Law at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), his alma mater.

Lavarch commenced his legal career in Brisbane as a solicitor. He gained Australian Labor Party endorsement for the Queensland electorate of Fisher, and was elected to the Federal Parliament at the 1987 election.

By the 1993 election, boundary changes had made Fisher less winnable, so he contested the neighbouring seat of Dickson. One of the candidates died very shortly before the election, making it necessary to hold a unique 'special election' on 17 April (the rest of the country had already voted on 13 March). Following the return of the Labor Party to government, the Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the makeup of the Second Keating Ministry to be sworn in on 24 March, but kept the portfolio of Attorney-General open for Michael Lavarch subject to him winning Dickson on 17 April. He won the seat, and was appointed to the ministry on 27 April.

During his political career he was particularly interested in human rights and native title issues. He was responsible for instigating the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in 1995, culminating in the publication of the Bringing Them Home Report. He was defeated at the 1996 election and returned to the law.

In 1998 Lavarch was elected as a Queensland delegate to the 4th Constitutional Convention in 1998.^[1]

He was Secretary-General of the Law Council of Australia from 2001 to 2004.^[2] In 2004 he was appointed Dean and Professor of Law at Queensland University of Technology, of which he is also a graduate.^[3]

Lavarch has written numerous book chapters and articles about Australia's legal and political systems, including being editor of "Beyond the Adversarial System". He hosts a radio program podcast on 2SER called "Maintain the Rage" that discusses politics, political history and the way the media covers them.

Lavarch lives between Brisbane and Sydney with his wife, Indigenous academic, lawyer and writer, Larissa Behrendt.

Michael Lavarch was formerly married to Linda Lavarch. Like her former husband, Linda Lavarach had served as an Attorney General but on the Queensland state level from 2005 to 2009.

References