Yesterday it was announced that Justice Susan Kiefel AC will be the next Chief Justice replacing retiring Chief Justice Robert French AC.
Justice Kiefel began her career as a secretary and after working for a group of barristers in Brisbane she took steps to study law.
From this time Justice Kiefel has pioneered the legal field for women in Queensland. Her Honour was appointed as the first female Queen’s Counsel in Queensland in 1987, in 1993 she was the first female judge appointed to the Supreme Court of Queensland and was one of the first women to be appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 1994.
Upon receiving a phone call from Prime Minister Turnbull confirming her appointment it is reported the Prime Minister said it was a historic moment for women to which Justice Kiefel replied that she regarded it more as a natural progression.
Notably, Justice Kiefel was born in Cairns and we in the tropical north are very proud of Justice Kiefel’s appointment as our nation’s most senior judicial officer.
Photo: Robert Shakespeare
