NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith announced the move today (11 August), arguing that this move would keep talented practitioners in the legal profession for up to an extra seven years.

"The NSW Government does not want to see talented crown prosecutors and public defenders forced into retirement prematurely when they are mentally sharp and still have a great deal to offer the NSW justice system," he said.

This move is supported by the Law Society of NSW, with its president, Stuart Westgarth, telling Lawyers Weekly that Smith is to be commended on this decision.

"A large number of people in the community are still very active in their mid-sixties and it would be a waste of skills, experience and talent to force some of our most experienced prosecutors and public defenders to retire at 65," Westgarth said.

The compulsory retirement age for judges in NSW is also 72.