Michael Lavarch

The Honourable Michael Lavarch AO
Member of the Australian Parliament for Fisher
In office 11 July 1987 – 17 April 1993
Preceded by	Peter Slipper
Succeeded by	Peter Slipper
Member of the Australian Parliament for Dickson
In office 17 April 1993 – 2 March 1996
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Tony Smith
Personal details
Born	(1961-06-08) 8 June 1961
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Larissa Behrendt Linda Lavarch
Occupation	Lawyer

Michael Hugh Lavarch AO (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.

Career

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 newly created 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, 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 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 his legal practice.

In 1998, Lavarch was elected as a Queensland delegate to the 4th Constitutional Convention in 1998 for the Australian Republican Movement.

He was secretary-general of the Law Council of Australia from 2001 to 2004. In 2004 he was appointed dean and professor of law at Queensland University of Technology, of which he is also a graduate.

Lavarch has written numerous book chapters and articles about Australia's legal and political systems, including being editor of "Beyond the Adversarial System" (ISBN 1862871531). He hosts a radio program podcast on 2SER called "Maintain the Rage" that discusses politics, political history and the way the media covers them.

Personal life

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 Lavarch had served as an Attorney General but on the Queensland state level from 2005 to 2009.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Duncan Kerr	Attorney-General of Australia 1993–1996	Succeeded by Daryl Williams
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Peter Slipper	Member for Fisher 1987–1993	Succeeded by Peter Slipper
Preceded by Electorate created	Member for Dickson 1993–1996	Succeeded by Tony Smith