MANDATE AND VISION

Our Government mandate

Our mandate from the Australian Government emphasises two objectives for AGS:

to support the Attorney-General in his role as first law officer of the Commonwealth, and
to operate efficiently as a government business enterprise and add shareholder value.

To meet the first objective, the Government wants AGS to provide quality legal services to the Australian Government and its departments and agencies, and to maintain:

the ability, through its focus on government, to meet the general legal services needs of departments and agencies at competitive prices
a whole-of-government approach
the corporate memory of Commonwealth legal practice and advice given by AGS on the Constitution and the law applicable to Australian Government departments and agencies, and
the ability to meet the unique legal services needs of the Australian Government in providing legal services to government, including in the areas of work reserved for government providers.

To meet the second objective, the Government wants AGS to:

operate on a fully commercial basis
achieve a commercial rate of return on equity investment, and pay agreed dividends to shareholder ministers on behalf of the Australian Government.

AGS vision

Our vision is: To be a world-class adviser helping our clients to advance the national interest.