Ruth Higgins Appointed Federal Solicitor-General

• Ruth Higgins was appointed the Solicitor-General of Australia by the federal government on Monday
• She will be the first female Solicitor-General of Australia
• Ruth will assume office from June 8

The government announced that Ruth Higgins, who has been representing the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) as a senior barrister based in Sydney in legal matters with Star Entertainment, will be officially commencing her role of Solicitor-General of Australia.

Ruth will become Australia's first female Solicitor-General, filling a vacancy since December of last year and starting in her new job on June 8 for the next five years.

She is considered a top barrister in competition law and had been considered a strong candidate for this position due to her experience representing the federal government in some of its most complex legal matters particularly at the High Court.

Ruth replaces Stephen Donaghue KC, who served as Solicitor-General during the parliamentary citizenship crisis of 2017-2018, and authored a report concerning former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s holding of a portfolio.

The solicitor-general will be one of the highest-appointed positions in the Commonwealth legal service, with a projected remuneration of $878756 for the year 2025-2026, which is more than the remuneration for the Chief Justice of Australia. This remuneration reflects the Commonwealth's desire to recruit senior barristers from private practice.

Ruth has been appointed as a Senior Counsel since 2017 and has represented both the Commonwealth and large organisations as a professional advocate.

Additionally, she has represented both the ACCC and private entities in regard to matters involving the ACCC, including the current proceedings brought by the ACCC against MasterCard regarding alleged misuse of market power, which will conclude a few months prior to her taking up her new post.

Gina Cass-Gottlieb (Chair, ACCC) has previously been in private practice with Ruth and has welcomed her appointment. She referred to Higgins as an outstanding advocate dedicated to serving the public.

In addition to her experience in the area of competition law, Ruth has experience with constitutional matters that include her direct involvement with the High Court of Australia's decision to invalidate the Commonwealth Government's system for indefinite immigration detention.

Ruth was born in Scotland and received her academic education in Glasgow and at the University of Oxford, and is currently a member of Banco Chambers in Sydney.