Mark Dreyfus | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Dreyfus in 2025 | |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 1 June 2022 – 13 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese |
| Preceded by | Michaelia Cash |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Rowland |
| In office 4 February 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Nicola Roxon |
| Succeeded by | George Brandis |
| Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 1 June 2022 – 13 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese |
| Preceded by | Position re-established |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Charlton |
| In office 14 September 2010 – 4 February 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | Joe Ludwig |
| Succeeded by | Jason Clare |
| Special Minister of State | |
| In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Gary Gray |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ronaldson |
| Minister for the Public Service and Integrity | |
| In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Gary Gray |
| Succeeded by | Eric Abetz |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forIsaacs | |
| Assumed office 24 November 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Ann Corcoran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Alfred Dreyfus (1956-10-03)3 October 1956 (age 69) Perth,Western Australia, Australia |
| Party | Labor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Malvern, Victoria, Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | www |
Mark Alfred DreyfusKC (born 3 October 1956) is an Australian politician and lawyer. He is a member of theAustralian Labor Party (ALP), and has been theMP forIsaacs since the2007 election. Dreyfus served as theattorney-general of Australia in 2013 and then 2022 to 2025, and ascabinet secretary from 2010 to 2013 and then 2022 to 2025.
Before beginning his political career, Dreyfus worked as abarrister for two decades, specialising in constitutional, commercial andenvironmental law. After winning the seat of Isaacs in 2007, Dreyfus was appointed to theCabinet in September 2010 byJulia Gillard as Cabinet Secretary. In February 2013, following the resignation ofNicola Roxon, he was moved to become Attorney-General for the first time. AfterKevin Rudd replaced Gillard as Prime Minister in June 2013, Dreyfus was retained as Attorney-General and given the additional roles ofSpecial Minister of State andMinister for the Public Service and Integrity. He would hold these positions for less than three months, as Labor was defeated in the2013 election.
Throughout Labor's subsequent nine years in opposition, Dreyfus served asshadow attorney-general under bothBill Shorten andAnthony Albanese. Following Labor's victory in the2022 election, he was appointed to the positions of Attorney-General and Cabinet Secretary for the second time within thefirst Albanese ministry. During his second tenure as attorney-general, he oversaw the introduction of theNational Anti-Corruption Commission, the creation of theAdministrative Review Tribunal in place of the abolishedAdministrative Appeals Tribunal, and the establishment of theRoyal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme. He also ordered the discontinuation of the prosecution of whistleblowerBernard Collaery. He was removed as attorney-general following a cabinet reshuffle after the2025 election.
Dreyfus was born inPerth, Western Australia, the son ofGeorge Dreyfus, a noted composer who came to Australia fromNazi Germany. Three of Mark's great-grandparents perished duringThe Holocaust. Mark's father was moved to Australia when he was eleven years old. Many Jewish children in Australia were cared for throughout the war, including Mark's father, who had no idea if they would ever see their parents again.[1][2][3]Dreyfus was educated atScotch College, Melbourne on a full scholarship and theUniversity of Melbourne, where he resided atOrmond College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and aBachelor of Laws.[4]
Before entering parliament, Dreyfus worked as abarrister for twenty years, with an extensive practice in commercial, defamation, constitutional and environmental law. He appeared before theHigh Court in the leadingimplied freedom of political communication cases ofTheophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) andLange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997). He also representedMichael Danby in a defamation suit against theLaRouche movement. In 1999 he was appointed Queen's Counsel.[5]
Dreyfus also served as a director of theLaw Council of Australia and on theVictorian Bar Council and Victorian Bar Ethics Committee.
Since his first professional role as a Field Officer for theNorthern Land Council, Dreyfus has worked closely withAboriginal communities in theNorthern Territory, including representing a number of the claimants in the landmarkStolen Generations litigation.[6]
In March 2006, Dreyfus successfully challenged the sitting Labor member for theDivision of Isaacs,Ann Corcoran, for the Labor candidacy in the 2007 election.[7] At the 2007 election, he defeated the Liberal candidate, Ross Fox, gaining a 5.9-point swing to Labor.[8]
Following Labor's victory at the2007 Australian federal election, Dreyfus was appointed the Chair of the House of Representatives Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. At the2010 Australian federal election, Dreyfus was re-elected, gaining a further 3.33-point swing to Labor.
In September 2010, Dreyfus was appointed as Cabinet Secretary as well as Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency in theSecond Gillard Ministry.[9] Dreyfus took on additional responsibilities in December 2011 when he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation.
At the2013 Australian federal election, Dreyfus was re-elected with a reduced margin of 3.9%, which was extended to 5.9% at the2016 Australian federal election.[10]
Dreyfus had an easier run at the2019 Australian federal election after hisLiberal Party of Australia opponent was disendorsed for an earlier 'anti-Muslim rant',[11] Dreyfus was re-elected with a 3.45 percent swing in his favour.[12]
Dreyfus was again comfortably re-elected in the2022 Australian federal election,[13] though his campaign was assisted when his Liberal Party opponent was referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation after admitting that, though he was enrolled to vote at a pub in the Isaacs electorate, he actually lived in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, some 20 km away.[14][15]
Dreyfus had a further swing in his favour - his sixth in seven elections - to comfortably hold the seat at the2025 Australian federal election.[16]
Dreyfus is a member ofLabor Right faction.[17][18] He is a strong advocate for action on climate change[19] and for the establishment a federal anti-corruption agency.[20] Dreyfus was a vocal supporter of the 'yes' campaign during theAustralian Marriage Law Postal Survey[21] and a vocal opponent against Abbott government era funding reductions to climate science research at theCSIRO.[22]
On 2 February 2013, Dreyfus was promoted to Attorney-General and as Minister for Emergency Management after the resignation ofNicola Roxon.[23] Dreyfus was given additional responsibilities on 1 July 2013 as Special Minister of State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity following the decision byGary Gray to resign from the ministry following theJune 2013 Labor leadership spill.[24]
As Attorney-General, Dreyfus appeared before theInternational Court of Justice inThe Hague as Counsel and Advocate for Australia in the case ofWhaling in the Antarctic (Australia v Japan; New Zealand intervening) in June and July 2013.[25] On 1 April 2014, the ICJ handed down its decision in favour of Australia that Japan cease whaling in theSouthern Ocean.[26]
Dreyfus served as Labor's Shadow Attorney-General from2013 to2022, where he championed the establishment of a Federal Integrity Commission[20] and greater funding for community legal centres.[27]
Dreyfus as shadow attorney general is the only person to hold the same portfolio in the entirety of Labor's nine years in opposition between 2013 and 2022 as well as being longest serving shadow attorney general.
Following Labor's victory in the2022 Australian federal election, Dreyfus was appointed as Attorney-General in the Albanese government on 31 May 2022.[28] In his first interview as Attorney-General he said legislating Labor's promisednational anti-corruption commission by the end of 2022 was his "paramount priority", calling it a "nation-building" reform.[29] In September 2022, Dreyfus presented the legislation to create a national anti-corruption commission to Parliament,[30] and the bill was passed on 30 November.[31]
On 7 July 2022 Dreyfus used his powers as Attorney-General to discontinue the prosecution of lawyerBernard Collaery, which had been initiated by his predecessorChristian Porter.[32] Collaery had been charged with disclosing confidential intelligence information about theAustralia–East Timor spying scandal, with many criticising his prosecution as unjust and unfair.[33][34][35]
Dreyfus led the establishment of theRoyal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, announcing the Letters Patent on 25 August 2022 alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.[36]
Dreyfus is a member of the Parliamentary Friends of theIHRA, which has been advocating for universities to adopt a controversialdefinition of antisemitism.[37]
In 2024, the Albanese government banned the display of Nazi symbols, as well as the symbols of proscribed terrorist organisations.[38]
After Labor's victory in the2025 Australian federal election, Dreyfus was not re-nominated by the Labor caucus to return to the ministry, ending his tenure as Attorney-General.[39]
On 28 November 2025, it was announced that Dreyfus would become the International Human Rights Envoy.[40]
Dreyfus married Chilean-born Deborah Chemke. The couple had three children, Joe, Tom and Laura.[41][42][43][44] Deborah died on 1 November 2023.[45]
Dreyfus is a keen swimmer, cyclist and runner and is a frequent participant in open water swims and fun runs within his electorate.[46][47]
Dreyfus speaks fluent Spanish[44] and has stated that, had he not become a lawyer, he would have liked to become a park ranger in theAlpine National Park.[48]
He is a supporter of theSt Kilda Football Club.[49]
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forIsaacs 2007–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Cabinet Secretary 2010–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for the Public Service and Integrity 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Special Minister of State 2013 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Attorney-General of Australia 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney-General of Australia 2022–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cabinet Secretary 2022–2025 | Succeeded by |
Prime Minister:Anthony Albanese | ||
| Cabinet | .jpg) | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||
| Resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Kevin Rudd | ||
 | ||
