John Quigley (politician)

For the Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection, see John Quigley (Pennsylvania official).

The Honourable John Quigley MLA
Attorney-General of Western Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 March 2017
Premier	Mark McGowan
Preceded by	Michael Mischin
Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 1 May 2001 – 6 September 2008
Premier	Geoff Gallop Alan Carpenter
Preceded by	Chris Baker
Succeeded by	Wendy Duncan
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Butler
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 March 2013
Preceded by	Constituency created
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Mindarie
In office 26 February 2005 – 9 March 2013
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Innaloo
In office 10 February 2001 – 26 February 2005
Preceded by	George Strickland
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	John Robert Quigley (1948-12-01) 1 December 1948 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouses	Mary Ellen ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1994)​ Darryl Wookey ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1997)​ Michelle Stronach ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2021)​
Children	5
Residence(s)	Trigg, Western Australia, Australia
Education	Aquinas College
Alma mater	University of Western Australia (LLB; 1974)
Occupation	Trade union lawyer (Police Union of Western Australia) Trade union delegate (Australian Council of Trade Unions)
Profession	Barrister Politician
Website	www.johnquigley.com.au

John Robert Quigley (born 1 December 1948) is an Australian barrister, solicitor and politician in Western Australia. A member of the ALP, he has served as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from the 2001 election until the present, initially as the Member for Innaloo (2001–2005) until that seat's abolition in an electoral redistribution, then as the Member for Mindarie (2005–2013) until that seat's abolition in an electoral redistribution and is currently the Member for Butler. As of March 2022, he is the state's Attorney-General and Minister for Electoral Affairs in the second McGowan ministry after holding the position of Attorney General and Minister for Commerce in the McGowan Ministry.

Early life

He was born on 1 December 1948 in Perth, Western Australia, and was educated at Aquinas College, Perth. Dropping out of high school at 16, Quigley became a stockman at Mardathuna Station near Carnarvon before returning to Perth to work as a truck driver for Brambles. Inspired by a book on US president Abraham Lincoln, he decided to pursue a career in law and enrol at the University of Western Australia.

Career

Law

Quigley was the lawyer for the Western Australian Police Union for 25 years. In 1983, he represented officers at the inquest into the death of John Pat, a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy. He became an honorary life member of the union in 2000 before entering state parliament in 2001.

Politics

In 2007, his life membership of the Western Australian Police Union was withdrawn after his parliamentary attack on police involved with the Andrew Mallard case, where he named a former undercover policeman who had a role in Mallard's unjust conviction. He planned to melt down his life membership badge, have it made into a tiepin with the words Veritas Vincit— "Truth Conquers", the motto of the school he attended—and present it to Mallard.

In 2008, Quigley and two other MPs were cleared by the Corruption and Crime Commission in relation to allegations of dealings with lobbyist Brian Burke. Burke approached the MPs in order to launch a parliamentary enquiry that would favour one of his associates.

In 2011, he was accused of bringing the legal profession into disrepute, a charge stemming from his campaign to expose the wrongful jailing of Andrew Mallard for murder, to which he replied "...if you take on corrupt police you will be pursued and they will try and destroy you." In November 2011 Quigley was fined $3000 by the State Administrative Tribunal for professional misconduct, again in relation to his successful campaign against police in the Mallard case.

As Minister for Electoral Affairs since the 2021 election, Quigley has been overseeing potential reforms to the voting system for the Western Australian Legislative Council. In April 2021, he formed a panel to examine potential reform of that voting system. The panel was led by former Governor of Western Australia Malcolm McCusker, and consisted of four electoral and constitutional law experts.

Attorney-General of Western Australia

From April 2009 to March 2017, Quigley was the Shadow Attorney-General. He became the WA Attorney-General on 16 March 2017. In February 2024, Quigley announced he would step down as Attorney-General and as the MP for Butler at the 2025 state election.