The Turnbull government has appointed Susan Kiefel as chief justice – the first woman to lead the high court of Australia – replacing Robert French, who retires from the bench in January.
A second judge, James Edelman, has been appointed to the court to fill the vacancy created by Kiefel’s elevation.
Confirming the appointments on Tuesday, the prime minister told reporters Kiefel’s story was “an inspiration”.
“She left school at 15. She began her working life as a legal secretary. She studied for her completion of high school qualifications part time,” the prime minister said.
“She studied law part time through the barristers admission board. She was admitted to the bar in 1975. She went on after practising at the bar to win a master of laws at the University of Cambridge. She took silk in 1987 – the first woman in Queensland to do so.”
“In 1993 she became the first woman to be appointed a judge of the supreme court of Queensland. She has been one of Australia’s most outstanding judicial officers.”
The attorney general, George Brandis, said Kiefel’s career was a study in merit-based advancement, and she would be “a great leader of the court”.
The prime minister described Edelman, a 42-year-old Brisbane-based federal court judge, as “quite precocious” and “one of the most outstanding legal minds of his generation”.
“He was born on the 9 January 1974 so he is a different generation to most of the other judges of the high court, but he was a professor of law at Oxford at the age of 34.”
Labor welcomed the appointments. The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, described both appointments as “highly deserved” on Twitter.
Labor warmly welcomes Susan Kiefel as first female Chief Justice of the High Court, and James Edelman as new judge. Both highly deserved.
— Mark Dreyfus (@markdreyfusQCMP) November 28, 2016
In a short statement issued after confirmation of her appointment, Kiefel said she was “deeply honoured” to lead the institution, and would “work to uphold the importance of the high court as an institution in our society and to maintain its independence”.
“The high court remains as relevant today to Australians as it did at federation. The issues that come before the high court affect many aspects of the life of the nation,” she said.
“It will be a privilege to walk in the footsteps of the eminent jurists who have been appointed chief justices since the court was established in 1903.”
The Law Council of Australia welcomed the appointments.
Its president, Stuart Clark, said Kiefel “was already a trailblazer for women in the legal profession” before her elevation to chief justice.
“Justice Kiefel’s talent and commitment to her profession has taken her to Australia’s highest judicial office,” Clark said in a statement. “Justice Kiefel’s success should serve as an inspiration to all young people considering a career in law.”
Clark said Edelman’s professional achievements were “remarkable” given his relative youth.
The Law Council also acknowledged the contribution of the outgoing chief justice. French had been “an exemplary leader” of the court over the past eight years.
The new appointees will be sworn in at the end of January.
