Governor-General of Australia

For a list of office holders, see List of governors-general of Australia.

Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
Badge
Flag of the governor-general
Incumbent
Sam Mostyn
since 1 July 2024
Viceregal
StyleHer Excellency the Honourable
ResidenceGovernment House (Canberra)
Admiralty House (Sydney)
AppointerMonarch of Australia
on the advice of the prime minister
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
(typically 5 years)[1]
Constituting instrumentAustralian Constitution section 2
Formation29 October 1900[2]
First holderJohn Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun
Salary$709,017[3]
Websitegg.gov.au

The governor-general of Australia[a] is the representative of the monarch of Australia, currently Charles III. The governor-general has many constitutional and ceremonial roles in the Australian political system, in which they have independent agency. However, they are generally bound by convention to act on the advice of the prime minister and the Federal Executive Council.[1] They also have a significant community role, through recognising meritorious individuals and groups, and representing the nation as a whole. The current governor-general is Sam Mostyn.

Significant functions of the governor-general include giving royal assent to bills passed by the houses of parliament, issuing writs for elections, exercising executive power on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, formally appointing government officials (including the prime minister, other ministers, judges and ambassadors), acting as commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force, and bestowing Australian honours.[4] However, in almost all instances the governor-general only exercises de jure power in accordance with the principles of the Westminster system and responsible government. This requires them to remain politically neutral and to only act in accordance with Parliament (such as when selecting the prime minister and providing royal assent) or on the advice of ministers (when performing executive actions). However, in certain limited circumstances, the governor-general can exercise reserve powers (powers that may be exercised without or against formal advice), most notably during the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. These situations are often controversial and the use of and continued existence of these powers remains highly debated.

In their ceremonial and community roles, the governor-general represents the nation as a whole. Domestically, this role entails attending services and commemorations, sponsoring community organisations and hosting events at one of the two official residences (Government House in Canberra and Admiralty House in Sydney). Internationally, the governor-general represents Australia by travelling to significant events and by performing and receiving state visits. The governor-general is supported by a staff (of 80 in 2018[5]) headed by the official secretary.

The governor-general is selected by the prime minister, but formally appointed by the monarch of Australia on the prime minister's advice.[6][7] Their term is not fixed, but they typically serve for five years. From Federation in 1901 until 1965, 11 out of the 15 governors-general were British aristocrats; however all since then have been Australian citizens.[b] The current governor-general, Samantha Mostyn, is the second woman to hold the post, after Dame Quentin Bryce (2008–2014).[8][9][10]

  1. ^ a b "Governor-General". Parliamentary Education Office. 10 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General 29 October 1900 (UK)". Documenting a Democracy. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  3. ^ Governor-General Act 1974 (Cth) s 3.
  4. ^ "The role of the Governor-General". The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  5. ^ Wright, Shane (31 December 2018). "Governor-General pleads for more cash to do his job after budget blowout". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ^ "How is the governor-general appointed and what is their role?". Parliamentary Education Office. 14 December 2023.
  7. ^ Elder, D. R. (2018). "Governor-General". In Elder, D R; Fowler, P E (eds.). House of Representative Practice (7th ed.). Canberra, Australia: Department of the House of Representatives. ISBN 978-1-74366-654-8.
  8. ^ Albanese, Anthony (3 April 2024). "Australia's new Governor-General". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  9. ^ Fleming, Tessa (3 April 2024). "Anthony Albanese announces Samantha Mostyn as Australia's next governor-general". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Sam Mostyn announced as next governor general of Australia". Australian Associated Press. 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024 – via The Guardian.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).