Establishment

Between 1893 and 1953 the British Solomon Islands Protectorate was administered by the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific High Commission based in Fiji. In 1953 the High Commissioner moved his headquarters to Honiara. The High Commissioner took over the duties of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate Resident Commissioner. This change also leads to the appointment of the Protectorate’s first Attorney-General  who concurrently was the Legal Adviser to the High Commission, instead of the Attorney-General of Fiji. The first appointees as Attorney-General of the Solomon Islands were officers of the Colonial Legal Service.

The Office of the Attorney-General of Solomon Islands evolved with the important change in the method of producing legislation in the Protectorate commencing under the Solomon Islands (Constitution) Order in Council 1960, where the Attorney-General was appointed as an ex-officio member of both the Executive and Legislative Councils. Prior to the 1960 Order in Council all legislation were done by Queen’s Regulation made by the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific.