The Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) was established under the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 (DPP Act) and began operations in 1984. The Office is headed by a Director, who is appointed for a statutory term of up to seven years. The current Director is Chris Craigie SC, who was appointed on 13 October 2007.
The CDPP is an independent prosecuting agency established under the DPP Act. There is a separation of the role of prosecutor and investigator. The CDPP is within the portfolio of the Commonwealth Attorney-General, but the Office operates independently of the Attorney-General and of the political process. The Attorney-General, as First Law Officer, is responsible for the Commonwealth criminal justice system and remains accountable to Parliament for decisions made in the prosecution process, notwithstanding that those decisions are now in fact made by the Director and lawyers of the CDPP.
Under section 8 of the DPP Act, the Attorney-General has power to issue guidelines and directions to the CDPP. However, that can only be done after there has been consultation between the Attorney-General and the Director.