Sarah McNaughton

Sarah McNaughton SC is an Australian barrister who is the current Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, holding that role since 2016.[1]

Sarah McNaughton SC
Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 February 2016 (2016-02-29)
Preceded by	Robert Bromwich
Personal details
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Sydney (BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM)
Occupation	Barrister

Biography

McNaughton studied arts and law at the University of Sydney, and after completing university worked as an Associate to Justice Michael Kirby, at the time President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and later Justice of the High Court.[2]

After being admitted as a solicitor, McNaughton worked for Freehill, Hollingdale and Page (now Herbert Smith Freehills) until 1990, then moved to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions where she worked as a senior and later principal legal officer.[2] In 1996, McNaughton joined the New South Wales Bar,[3] initially working in-house at the CDPP but later moved to private practice where she specialised in criminal matters, including large scale complex criminal trials, including for fraud, taxation, corporations, drug importation and terrorism offences.[2] She became Senior Counsel in 2011.[3]

While at the private bar, McNaughton was Counsel for New South Wales in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and later Senior Counsel Assisting in the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.[4]

In May 2016, McNaughton was appointed by then-Attorney-General of Australia, George Brandis as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions for a five-year term, replacing Robert Bromwich who had been appointed as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.[3] She commenced the role on 16 May 2016.[1]

During McNaughton's tenure as Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, the agency has managed a number of high-profile matters, including the prosecution of "Witness K" and Bernard Collaery,[5] and potential prosecutions arising out of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry,[6]

References

1. "About Us - Director". Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
2. Editors (2016). "Sarah McNaughton SC - Appointment". Bar News: Journal of the NSW Bar Association (2016, Spring): 69. Retrieved 8 January 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
3. Brandis, George (5 May 2016). "Appointment of Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions". Attorney-General for Australia: Senator the Hon George Brandis QC. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
4. Heydon, Dyson (28 December 2015). Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption Final Report–Volume 1 - Introduction and Overview (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 80. ISBN 9781925290554. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
5. Knaus, Christopher (19 September 2018). "Senator asks why prosecutors sat on Witness K evidence for three years". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
6. Roddan, Michael (18 October 2018). "DPP needs extra funding needed for banking cases, Christian Porter warned". The Australian. News Limited. Retrieved 8 January 2020.

Legal offices
Preceded by Robert Bromwich	Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions 2016–present	Incumbent