13 Facts About Kyam Maher

Kyam Joseph Maher is an Australian politician and lawyer who has been Attorney-General of South Australia and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council since March 2022.

Kyam Maher was appointed to a casual vacancy in the South Australian Legislative Council for the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party on 17 October 2012.

Kyam Maher previously served in the Cabinet of South Australia between 2015 and 2018 and was the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council between 2016 and 2018.

Kyam Maher grew up in Mount Gambier and attended Grant High School there.

Kyam Maher left Mount Gambier to study law and economics at the University of Adelaide.

In 2006, Kyam Maher was an inaugural committee member of the Progressive Labour Education Association Inc, a joint-venture training organisation operated by the ALP Socialist Left faction and aligned unions United Voice and the Australian Services Union.

Kyam Maher was appointed to the South Australian Legislative Council in 2012 to replace outgoing MLC Bob Sneath.

Kyam Maher was re-elected from fourth position on the Labor ticket at the 2014 election.

In February 2015 he was appointed to cabinet and, between 2015 and the 2018 state election, Kyam Maher served as minister in the Labor Weatherill Ministry in a range of portfolios including manufacturing and innovation, automotive transformation, Aboriginal affairs and reconciliation; and employment and science and information economy.

Kyam Maher was the first Aboriginal South Australian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

On 18 January 2016 Kyam Maher was appointed as the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council in the Weatherill government.

Kyam Maher became Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council for the second time.

Kyam Maher was the first initiated Aboriginal man in the nation's history to be appointed in the Attorney-General position.