Tony McAvoy is a Wirdi man from the central Queensland area around Clermont and he is also a native title holder in his grandmother’s country around Thargomindah in southwest Queensland.

Tony is a barrister and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2015. He has developed a strong native title practice and has successfully appeared for claimants in several land claims. He has also acquired significant experience in the areas of environmental law, administrative law, human rights and discrimination law, coronial inquests, royal commissions and criminal law. Between 2011 and 2013, Tony was an Acting Part-Time Commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court.

In 2016 and 2017 he was Co-Senior Counsel assisting the Don Dale Royal Commission. In 2021, he was appointed Co-Senior Counsel  assisting the Yoorrook Justice Commission (Vic), he was also appointed NT Treaty Commissioner the same year. In 2022, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from UTS. In 2023, he was appointed to the Referendum Working Group, and in July 2024 he was appointed as a Part Time Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission to Co-Lead a review of the future acts regime of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).