Resignation of top lawyer leaves federal government in the lurch
Who will replace Stephen Donaghue KC as Commonwealth solicitor-general after his shock exit?
The shock resignation of the government’s top lawyer, Stephen Donaghue KC, has left the government scrambling to find a replacement as it prepares to defend the social media ban for under-16s in the High Court.
The Victorian Government announced on Tuesday that Donaghue had been appointed to the state’s top court, the Court of Appeal, and would start work on 27 January.
Donaghue has been the Commonwealth Solicitor-General (SG) since January 2017 and has appeared before the High Court more than 150 times.
He has also been called on to give sensitive advice on matters such as the Voice to Parliament, the multiple portfolios of former prime minister Scott Morrison and the eligibility of ‘foreign’ MPs to sit in parliament.
