The Albanese government has picked the corporate watchdog’s top lawyer Dr Ruth Higgins SC to be Australia’s next solicitor-general, making history as the first woman to take up the post.
Dr Higgins made headlines last year for spearheading the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s case into Star executives accused of turning of a blind eye to laundering risks and criminal associations at its casinos between 2017 and 2019.
Last month, the Federal Court found it true of former chief executive Matthias Bekier and former chief legal and risk officer Paula Martin, who now face financial penalties.
In her new role announced on Monday, Dr Higgins will serve as the second-highest ranking law officer in the Commonwealth.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Higgins vowed to uphold “the institutions of the law”, saying that “individuals who hold senior positions in them also matter a very great deal and they must always represent those institutions with integrity, independence and excellence”.
Solicitors-general are independent of the government of the day, unlike attorneys-general, who are politicians and have a political agenda.
The solicitor-general advises government on high-stakes legal matters, such as whether proposed laws would survive a constitutional challenge.
Standing alongside Dr Higgins, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the appointment “will come as no surprise to those in the legal profession”.
“She is extremely well-regarded. She has a prodigious legal mind. But above all else, this appointment is about finding the best person for the job, and in this case, it’s Dr Ruth Higgins,” Ms Rowland said.
