Appointment of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Victorian barrister Raelene Sharp KC as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).
Ms Sharp’s five year appointment will commence on 4 December 2023 and follows a transparent and merit-based selection process. She will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of the former CDPP, the Hon Justice Sarah McNaughton, as a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
Raelene Sharp KC has been a Barrister at the Victorian Bar since 2010 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2022. Ms Sharp has a strong criminal law practice, appearing for the CDPP in many complex and sensitive cases. She has broad public law experience, both as counsel in public law litigation and through her work with the Office of the Special Investigator and the then Australian Crime Commission.
The Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is an independent prosecution service established by Parliament in 1984 to prosecute alleged offences against Commonwealth law. The CDPP operates independently of the Attorney-General and the political process.
I congratulate Ms Sharp on her appointment and thank her for taking on this important role. I also thank Mr Scott Bruckard PSM for acting as Director while the appointment process was undertaken.