ATTORNEY-General Robert McClelland left Australia for London on Saturday for the first Quintet gathering of Attorneys-General, meeting his counterparts from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand for a two day agenda.
The common law countries are coming together to share ideas and deal with issues including national security, counter-terrorism, countering violent extremism, organised crime and legal cooperation from the perspective of a shared legal tradition, the Attorney said on the weekend.
“The Quintet meeting represents a unique opportunity for the Australian Government to meet and progress matters of mutual interest with our key allies,” McClelland said.
Each top legal officer will have a chance to participate in the discussions, and McClelland himself expects to provide an overview of Australia’s efforts to combat organised crime, including money laundering and identity theft.
The various Attorneys will also conduct separate bilateral meetings. For the first time, McClelland will meeting US Attorney-General, Eric Holder, who has held the position since the Obama administration took office in January 2009.
The Attorney will also conduct meetings with relevant UK ministerial peers, including the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, the Shadow Attorney-General, Edward Garnier, and Shadow Justice Secretary, Dominic Grieve.