All Documents Provided To The Attorney-General Regarding Pay Rates For Barristers From 13 May 2025 To 16 July 2025.

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The Attorney-General's Department released documents concerning the authorisation of barrister pay rates. The disclosure includes a 2 July 2025 email from Assistant Secretary Phillip Ng confirming the Attorney-General's signature on the Legal Services Directions (Counsel Fees) Authorisation Instrument 2025 (dated 30 June 2025). The instrument delegates authority to four senior departmental positions to approve payments to senior counsel exceeding $5,000 per day (including GST) under paragraph 9 of Appendix D of the Legal Services Directions 2017, specifically when the Attorney-General has instructed the department of actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest. The disclosure also includes excerpted provisions from Appendix D detailing Commonwealth policy on counsel engagement as a major purchaser of legal services. Significant redactions under section 22 (personal information) apply throughout.