Susan Kiefel has been sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia in an inauguration ceremony today in Canberra. Justice Kiefel becomes the thirteenth Chief Justice and the first female Chief Justice in the 113 year history of the High Court.
In a near unilateral decision Justice Susan Kiefel was chosen to replace the outgoing Chief Justice Robert French. The states Attorney-Generals, sitting members of the High court and other leaders of the Australian law profession were consulted on the decision.
Bill Sanders of a Personal Injury Law Firm Australia said “This is an historic moment in Australian Law. As a nation we should be proud of this appointment. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel demonstrates that with hard work, passion and commitment anyone can reach the pinnacle of their chosen field.”
Chief Justice Susan Kiefel dropped out of school at 15 and completed her high school qualifications whilst working as a legal secretary at a busy Brisbane barrister’s office. With the encouragement of Tony Fitzgerald QC she studied law through the Barristers’ Board instead of undertaking a law degree and was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1975 at 21 years of age. She flourished in practice and by 1987 she was the first Queensland woman to be appointed as Queens Counsel. During that time she had three years off practice to take a master of law at Cambridge, winning a prize in comparative law. In 1993 she accepted an appointment at the Supreme Court of Queensland, a year later she moved to the Federal Court. In 2007 she was raised to the High Court by the Howard Government and is now the longest serving member of the High Court.
Her appointment has come as no surprise to many, being the longest serving member of the high court and outgoing Chief Justice Robert French’s second in command.
On what the new Chief Justice would bring to the role Justice Kiefel was quoted as saying: “I don’t
think my intellectual input is going to alter in terms of the way in which I approach decision-making. I would hope that the court would continue as it is today, a very collegiate court, and I would hope that I retain the respect and confidence of the other branches of government and of the community in the court, which I think has been a hallmark of Justice French’s time.”
Her comments may sound business as usual, however one of the serious tasks facing the Chief Justice is managing the High Court’s relationship with the government. The Chief Justice must ensure the High Court’s independence to act and that it has the necessary financial resources to operate.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by fellow Justice Virginia Bell, a hitherto unseen event of a female Justice inducting the New Chief Justice. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel took the opportunity to reflect on what the inauguration represented for women.
“The appointment of more women to this court recognises that there are now women who have the necessary legal ability and experience as well as the personal qualities to be a justice of this court,” and went on to say, “there seems no reason to think that that situation will not be maintained in the future. It may well improve.”
