Kirsty Ruddock

Kirsty has extensive experience both in climate law, environmental litigation, administrative law and consumer and competition law.

Before joining Slater & Gordon, Kirsty led the corporate work at a public interest environmental law centre, the Environmental Defenders Office, focussing on corporate accountability and greenwashing. Most recently she was involved in two important greenwashing cases in the Federal Court challenging net zero claims, ACCR v Santos Ltd, and Greenpeace v Woodside Energy Ltd. She has also been involved in a significant number of public interest climate and environmental cases throughout her career. In 2023, she acted for the plaintiffs in Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group v Mach Energy in the NSW Land and Environment Court, challenging a coal mining approval decision that failed to consider the impacts of the scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions on the local environment. Examples of her other experience include:

• the first test case that sought to use pollution laws to regulate greenhouse gases of a power station;
• obtaining an injunction against a Japanese whaling company;
• first successful challenge to a mining approval for the Mt Thorley-Warkworth mine on climate, biodiversity and social impacts;
• first challenge to a coal mine on the basis of climate impacts on the Great Barrier Reef under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth);
• successfully obtaining a protective costs order to enable the Blue Mountains Conservation Society to bring a water pollution case against a power station; and
• representing indigenous elders in challenging a development on an important cultural heritage site.

Kirsty has also worked in senior roles at both the ACCC and NSW Government including leading investigations in the consumer and competition area, and investigations/prosecutions into environmental offences involving water. Her investigations have led to civil penalties for unconscionable conduct that comprised some of the largest fines under the Australian Consumer Law including in ACCC v AIPE, a penalty of $153 million, and in ACCC v Phoenix Institute with a penalty of $438 million. Kirsty led investigations into cartels in the finance industry that resulted in a penalty of $15 million for ANZ and Macquarie Group.

Kirsty is passionate about social justice and climate issues. She has been involved in several mentoring programs including supporting women, refugees and law students. She currently volunteers with the Bills Crews Foundation, and IndigiGrow, a first nations native plant nursery. She was previously on the board of 1 Million Women.

Achievements

Kirsty’s work at the Environmental Defenders Office resulted in her being recognised by the Sydney Morning Herald's magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in Sydney for the Environment in 2010. She was also recognised in the Top 50 Women List for NSW Public Sector in 2018. Kirsty has published extensively on climate and environmental law, as well as lecturing in the area. Kirsty has regularly appeared in the media commenting on environmental law issues, most recently in relation to greenwashing claims and complaints made by environmental and community organisations to regulators.