Michael Lavarch

Michael Hugh Lavarch AO (born 8 June 1961) is an Australian lawyer, educator and former politician. He was the Attorney-General for Australia between 1993 and 1996, and from 2004 to 2012 was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), his alma mater, where he has been since then emeritus professor. he is co-chair, with Jackie Huggins, of the Eminent Panel for the Indigenous treaty process in Queensland.

Early life and education Lavarch earned his Bachelor of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

He was defeated at the 1996 election, in which Labor was cut down to only two seats in Queensland. He then returned to his legal practice.

He was secretary-general of the Law Council of Australia from 2001 to 2004. In 2003 he was appointed by the Prime Minister to an expert panel to review proposals to change the way in which conflicts between the House of Representatives and the Senate are resolved.

In 2019 the Queensland Government of Annastacia Palaszczuk announced its interest in pursuing a pathway to an Indigenous treaty process. The Treaty Working Group and Eminent Treaty Process Panel were set up, with Lavarch co-chairing the Eminent Panel along with Jackie Huggins. Their Path to Treaty Report was tabled in Queensland Parliament in February 2020. On 13 August 2020, the Government announced that it would be supporting the recommendation to move forward on a Path to Treaty with First Nations Queenslanders. Lavarch said the commitment to release the report enabled Queenslanders to see their input reflected and learn more about the consultation outcomes.

Publications Lavarch has written several book chapters and articles about Australia's legal and political systems, and writing an Issues Paper for AIATSIS in 1998.

Personal life Lavarch lives between Brisbane and Sydney with his wife, Indigenous academic, lawyer and writer, Larissa Behrendt.

Michael Lavarch was formerly married to Linda Lavarch. Linda had served as an Attorney General of Queensland from 2005 to 2009. At the 2016 election, she was the ALP candidate for her former husband's former seat of Dickson.