Sarah Court is a big deal in Australia because she is the first woman to be in charge of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. This is an important job. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is one of the powerful groups that helps make sure companies in Australia are playing by the rules.
The government led by Albanese said she got the job on 2 February 2026. This is a moment for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has been around for 35 years. Sarah Court getting this job shows that things are changing and there are women in top jobs, in Australia now. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is a part of making sure Australias money system is fair.
Court is the Deputy Chair of ASIC now. She will become the Chair of ASIC when Joe Longo leaves the job in June 2026. This is a thing because Court will keep doing what ASIC has been doing. ASIC has been focused on making sure people follow the rules. Court is a woman. She will be in a very important job. There are women in important jobs too like the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the people, in charge of other big agencies. The ASIC has Court and these other women will be leading the way.
Courts professional journey is based on her knowledge of the law and her work in the public sector. Before she worked at ASIC she was a Commissioner at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for than ten years. At the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission she was very important in making sure people followed competition laws and in protecting consumers. Before that Court was a lawyer for the Australian Government Solicitor, where she was in charge of teams of lawyers who worked on cases, about competition, administrative law and making sure people followed the law.
Since Court became the Deputy Chair in 2021 Court has been a part of making plans for what ASIC does to enforce the rules. Court oversees the lawsuits, investigations and things that companies in Australia have to do to follow the rules. With Court in charge the group that makes sure everyone follows the rules has done a good job of punishing people who do not follow the rules. They have focused on people who do things that hurt investors, consumers and the markets. Some big cases that Court has worked on include suing insurance companies for charging much money and going after big financial institutions that do not follow the rules. Court and the team, at ASIC have done a job of making sure that Courts plans are working to protect people and the markets.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said that Court has a lot of experience with rules and lawsuits. He likes that she helped make ASIC better at looking into things and taking action when necessary. Treasurer Jim Chalmers thinks that Court will help ASIC keep being tough on companies that do things. This is important because businesses and regulators are dealing with some tough economic problems right now. ASIC will keep doing its job with Court, in charge and Treasurer Jim Chalmers likes that.
Outgoing Chair Joe Longo said he thinks Court can do a job leading ASIC. Joe Longo has been in charge of ASIC for a while. Has helped the organization become more modern and trusted again after some big changes. He believes in Court because she is a honest person she is very good at analyzing things. She always makes sure to follow Australias corporate and financial laws. Joe Longo thinks these are qualities, for someone who will be guiding ASIC.
As Chair, Sarah Court will hold significant influence over Australia’s corporate landscape — shaping enforcement policy, steering responses to emerging financial issues like technology-enabled misconduct, and reinforcing ASIC’s mandate to protect consumers and investors. Her appointment underlines not just a personal achievement but a symbolic advancement in gender representation within Australia’s economic leadership.
