Recently appointed Attorney-General and federal Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash announced this week Mrs Mirabella was one of four commissioners along with Alana Matheson, Bernadette O'Neill and Phillip Ryan and Michael Easton to the role of deputy president.

Mrs Mirabella has been the general manager of government and media relations at Hancock Prospecting since bowing out of politics in 2016 with an unsuccessful bid to reclaim the seat of Indi from Cathy McGowan.

Mrs Mirabella was first elected to Federal Parliament in 2001 after working as a barrister in Melbourne.

In a media statement confirming the appointments, Ms Cash said: "I am confident that the appointees will execute their duties with impartiality and diligence".

Ms Cash replaced Christian Porter as Attorney-General following a reshuffle of cabinet positions announced this week by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

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Mrs Mirabella lost the 2013 election to Ms McGowan, ending the Liberal Party's grip on the seat which began in 1977 when Ewen Cameron replaced the National Country Party's Mac Holten who had been Indi MP since 1958.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke criticised the appointment of Mrs Mirabella and the timing of the announcement.

"7pm before Good Friday the government announces Sophie Mirabella now makes decisions for every workplace," Mr Burke said on social media.

"Announcing at this hour is disgraceful spin.

"Doing this at all shows contempt for workers. The whole charade says to workers: Mr Morrison is on his own side, not yours."

Mrs Mirabella was contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, Indi Liberals are almost certain to choose a female candidate for the next federal election when preselection nominations open.

Steve Martin was the 2019 candidate, but the push is on to find a suitably qualified female to take on independent Helen Haines with the party keen to get more women into federal politics.

Farrer MP Sussan Ley is pushing for a 40 per cent quota of Liberal women in parliament.

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