Sally Dowling

Sally Dowling SC is an Australian lawyer who has been Director of Public Prosecutions for New South Wales since August 2021.

Early life and education Dowling is one of three children; her mother, Stephanie Claire, worked as an English teacher and writer, and later married artist Salvatore Zofrea. Dowling attended North Sydney Girls High School but left in Year 11. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 1994.

In 2013, Dowling was appointed senior counsel and in 2016 she was appointed deputy senior Crown prosecutor and head of the appeals unit within the NSW office of the DPP. In 2019, she was senior counsel assisting the NSW Government's Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’. She is the first woman to hold the role. In July 2026, a report was released that suggested Dowling should be removed as Director of Public Prosecutions due to an alleged leak from her office. This suggestion was rebuffed by attorney-general Michael Daley. Dowling was also supported by other state and territory DPPs.

Personal life Dowling has two children.

In 2018, Salvatore Zofrea's portrait of Dowling was a finalist in the Archibald Prize.