{"id":"C1916A00028","name":"Solicitor-General Act 1916","slug":"solicitor-general-act-1916","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"28 of 1916","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":19027,"registerId":"commonwealth-C1916A00028-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Solicitor-General Act 1916","content":"SOLICITOR-GENERAL.\n\nNo. 28 of 1916.\n\nAn Act relating to the Solicitor-General.\n\n\\[Assented to 30th September, 1916.\\]\n\nBE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—\n\nShort title.\n\n1. This Act may be cited as the Solicitor-General Act 1916 and shall be deemed to have commenced on the first day of September, One thousand nine hundred and sixteen.\n\nOffice of Solicitor-General.\n\n2.—(1.) The Governor-General may appoint a person to be the Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth; and in case of the illness or absence of the Solicitor-General the Governor-General may appoint a person to act as Solicitor-General during such illness or absence.\n\n(2.) The Solicitor-General shall have such duties and functions as are prescribed by or under any Act, or as are delegated to him by the Attorney-General in pursuance of this Act.\n\nDelegation of powers by the Attorney-General.\n\n3.—(1.) The Attorney-General may by writing under his hand delegate any of his powers or functions under any Act (except this power of delegation) so that the delegated powers may be exercised by the Solicitor-General as fully and effectually as by the Attorney-General.\n\n(2.) Every delegation under this section shall be revocable in writing at will; and no delegation shall prevent the exercise of any power by the Attorney-General.\n\n(3.) Every delegation under this section and every instrument revoking any such delegation shall be notified in the Gazette.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":2313},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is the original 1916 Act establishing the office; the scope reflects the original intent to create the Solicitor-General position and enable delegation of Attorney-General powers."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative sections","No defined terms or interpretation section","Minimal procedural requirements (only Gazette notification required)","Simple appointment mechanism with limited conditions (illness/absence)","No cross-references between sections"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does**\n\nThis Act creates the position of **Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth**—the federal government's senior legal advisor and second-highest-ranking law officer after the Attorney-General.\n\n**Key provisions**\n\n*   **Appointment**: The Governor-General appoints the Solicitor-General. If the Solicitor-General is sick or away, the Governor-General can appoint someone to act temporarily in their place.\n*   **Powers and duties**: The Solicitor-General performs duties assigned by other laws, or tasks delegated by the Attorney-General.\n*   **Delegation**: The Attorney-General can hand over (\"delegate\") any of their legal powers to the Solicitor-General, except the power to delegate itself. These delegations can be cancelled at any time and must be published in the official government gazette.\n\n**Why it matters**\n\nThis Act establishes the legal framework for one of Australia's most senior legal positions, allowing the Attorney-General to share legal responsibilities with the Solicitor-General while maintaining ultimate control over those powers."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916","history":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916/history","analysis":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/solicitor-general-act-1916/documents"}}