The Governor-General is the chief-of-state when the monarch is not in Australia. The governor-general also has a ceremonial role: hosting events at either of the two official residencesGovernment House in the capital, Canberra, and Admiralty House in Sydneyand travelling throughout Australia to open conferences, attend services and commemorations, and generally provide encouragement to individuals and groups who are contributing to their communities. Under the Australian Constitution, the only action performed by The King is the appointment of the Governor-General (on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister). A list of all former Governors-General. Section 5 states that "the Governor-General may appoint such times for holding the sessions of the Parliament [] prorogue the Parliament [and] dissolve the House of Representatives." The following year, as Ronald Munro Ferguson's term was about to expire, Hughes cabled the Colonial Office and asked that the appointment be made in accordance with the memorandum. James Scullin (1930) became the first prime minister of Australia to exercise complete discretion in the appointment; his nomination of Sir Isaac Isaacs made Australia the first Dominion to have a native-born governor-general. On the day parliament opens, the governor-general makes a speech, entirely written by the government, explaining the government's proposed legislative program. The recipients have had a significant impact at the local, national and international level and are, quite simply, inspiring," the Governor-General said. There have been only Australian occupants since then, although Sir Ninian Stephen (19821989) had been born in Britain. official secretary to the governor-general of Australia, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Flag of the Governor-General of Australia, Chapter II of the Constitution of Australia, Armorial of the governors-general of Australia, "Governor-General Amendment Salary Bill 2019", Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australiaofficial website, "Official websitethe Governor-General's role", "Governor-General pleads for more cash to do his job after budget blowout", "David Hurley named next governor general of Australia", "Governor-General Quentin Bryce backs gay marriage, Australia becoming a republic in Boyer Lecture", "Letters Patent Relating to the Office of GovernorGeneral of the Commonwealth of Australia", "Sir William Deane stands down as Governor-General", "Peter Hollingworth apologises for poor handling of sex abuse complaint", "Australians for Constitutional Monarchy", "The Samuel Griffith Society: Volume 8: Chapter Eight", "House of Representatives Practice (5th Edition)", "Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration2020", "Human biosecurity emergency declared in Australia", "An Australian Head of State: An Historical and Contemporary Perspective", "State visit by Governor-General of New Zealand - statement by the prime minister, Mr William McMahon", "Parliamentary involvement in declaring war and deploying forces overseas", "The Governor-General as Commander-in-Chief", "Herald Sun, 18 June 2008, governor-general Quentin Bryce to get pay rise", "USRS Australia: Blog for the U.S. Mission to Australia", "Tony Abbott's New $500,000 Armoured Ride Can Stop AK-47 Rounds And Deter Bomb Blasts", Dress worn at His Majesty's court: issued with the authority of the Lord Chamberlain, The title 'the Honourable' for Governors-General, Prime Minister's media release "A New Honour for Pre-eminent Australians", "The role of the Queen and the Governor-General in Australian democracy", "Australians reject role for Prince William", "Prince William and Prince Harry: A firm foundation for the brothers in arms", "Former atheist and political leader Bill Hayden baptised at age 85 at St Mary's Church, Ipswich", "Bill Hayden, former Labor leader, turns to God despite atheist past", Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Chronology of Australian federal parliaments, List of Acts of the Parliament of Australia, Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia: The Legislature, Section 51 of the Constitution of Australia, Chapter II of the Constitution of Australia: The Executive, Section 61 of the Constitution of Australia, Chapter III of the constitution of Australia: Courts, Section 75 of the Constitution of Australia, Australian Constitution (Public Record Copy) Act 1990, 201718 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis, (xviii) Copyrights, patents and trademarks, Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and dominions, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Governor-General_of_Australia&oldid=1137546980, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2012, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, appointing ambassadors and high commissioners, The power to dissolve (or refuse to dissolve) the House of Representatives (section 5), The power to dissolve Parliament on the occasion of a deadlock (section 57), The power to withhold assent to bills (section 58), The power to appoint (or dismiss) ministers (section 64), if an election results in a parliament in which no party has a majority, the governor-general may select the prime minister, if a prime minister loses the support of the House of Representatives, the governor-general may appoint a new prime minister, if a prime minister advises a dissolution of the House of Representatives, the governor-general may refuse that request, or request further reasons why it should be granted; it is worth noting that convention does not give the governor-general the ability to dissolve either the House of Representatives or the Senate without advice, if a prime minister advises a dissolution of Parliament on the occasion of a deadlock between the Houses, the governor-general may refuse that request, if the governor-general is not satisfied with a legislative bill as presented, they may refuse royal assent, if a prime minister resigns after losing a vote of confidence, the governor-general may select a new replacement contrary to the advice of the outgoing prime minister, if a prime minister is unable to obtain supply and refuses to resign or advise a dissolution, the governor-general may dismiss him or her and appoint a new prime minister, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 05:38. Each recipient has something in common someone nominated them. acting as Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The King maintained that it was now his sole prerogative to choose a governor-general, and he wanted Field-Marshal Sir William Birdwood for the Australian post. In recent decades the typical term of office has been five years. 25. In 1930, King George V and the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin discussed the appointment of a new Governor-General to replace Lord Stonehaven, whose term was coming to an end. 87 following. Term of Office. Kerr determined that he had both the right and the duty to dismiss the government and commission a new government that would recommend a dissolution of the Parliament. Form letters or emails generated as part of a broader campaign will not be responded to. H of R. 138, 24 August 1984, p. 380. A temporary vacancy also occurred in 2003 when Peter Hollingworth stood aside. At the same time as the appointment of Isaacs as the first Australian-born governor-general, a separate role of British Representative in Australia (as the representative of the British government) was established, with Ernest Crutchley the first appointee. The Governor-General is leader of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Forces . visiting places hit by national disaster, such as floods or fire. Despite these precedents, George V remained reluctant to accept Scullin's recommendation of Isaacs and asked him to consider Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood. By convention, this may only be upon advice from the prime minister, who retains responsibility for selecting an immediate replacement or letting the vacancy provisions take effect. To mollify Hughes, Milner offered him a choice between three candidates. There are 736 awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia, with 48 per cent for women and 45 per cent for service to local communities. Orsend your written letter of invitation to: To contact Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat, please use ouremail formand selectHonours and Awards. He further proposed that the Dominions be able to nominate their own candidates and that "the field of selection should not exclude citizens of the Dominion itself". The governor-general travels in a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine for ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. Quentin Bryce's appointment was announced during her term as Governor of Queensland; she had previously been the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner. [19] The constitution also provides that the governor-general is the monarch's "representative" in exercising the executive power of the Commonwealth (section 61) and as commander-in-chief of the armed forces (section 68). [5] The monarch then permits the recommendation to be publicly announced, usually several months before the end of the existing governor-general's term. Former leading politicians and members of the judiciary have figured prominently. Australia's Governor-General David Hurley has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, a spokesperson says. Get to know the people and work of the Parliamentary Education Office, contact us and discover how to use our website. Theyre almost always humble to a fault but I urge recipients, for today, to put aside that humility - its important they know how much they are valued.. They are appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, usually for a term of 5 years. The Australian Constitution And The Use Of Convention Essay. Then, the Governor-General, as Chancellor of the Order of Australia and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, invested Air Marshal Kevin Short AO, Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force. [66], In 1965 the Menzies conservative government appointed an Australian, Lord Casey, and thereafter only Australians have held the position. Both of these appointments had been agreed to despite British government objections. The executive power of the Commonwealth, by section 61 of the Constitution, is declared to be vested in the Queen. Each year the Governor-General hosts or attends hundreds ofevents around the country and meet tens of thousands of Australians. Welcome to the page of the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. A temporary vacancy occurs when the governor-general is overseas on official business representing Australia. [28] 1.2 National anthem and flag protocols. Holt believed that this was an improper use of his authority, but no further action was taken.[17]. After receiving their commission, the new governor-general takes an Oath of Allegiance to the monarch and an Oath of Office. The first Governor-General, the Earl of Hopetoun, was a previous governor of Victoria. [6][12][13] These oaths are administered by the chief justice of Australia or another senior judge. The then leader of the Opposition, Robert Menzies, called McKell's appointment "shocking and humiliating". Until 1989, all governors-general were members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and thus held the additional style The Right Honourable for life. The current Governor-General is David Hurley . This gives the minister sweeping powers, including imposing restrictions or preventing the movement of people and goods between specified places, and evacuations. It is also, in the same section, declared to be "exercisable" by the Governor-General as the Queen's representative. Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser, who opposed the call out, was responsible for informing Hasluck of the prime minister's lack of consultation. Two other men sit on the other side of the desk. [44] The incident contributed to Fraser's resignation from cabinet in 1971 and Gorton's subsequent loss of the prime ministership.[45]. [40] No formal declarations of war have been made since World War II, although in 1973 the Whitlam Government advised the governor-general to proclaim the end of Australia's involvement in Vietnam, despite the lack of an initiating proclamation. 'What does being recognised mean to me?' This was confirmed by the prime minister while talking to reporters on . After consulting his cabinet he chose Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster. The Australian Government was merely asked, as a matter of courtesy, whether they approved of the choice or not. To provide continuity through general elections both federally and in New South Wales, Hurley succeeded General Sir Peter Cosgrove, who had planned to retire in March 2019, on 1 July 2019.[1][2]. The Biosecurity Act 2015 specifies that the governor-general may declare such an emergency exists if the health minister (Greg Hunt at the time) is satisfied that "a listed human disease is posing a severe and immediate threat, or is causing harm, to human health on a nationally significant scale". Sir John Kerr resigned in 1977, with his official reason being his decision to accept the position of Australian Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris, a post which ultimately he did not take up, but the resignation also being motivated by the 1975 constitutional controversy. Lachlan Macquarie, (born January 31, 1761, Ulva, Argyllshire, Scotlanddied July 1, 1824, London, England), early governor of New South Wales, Australia (1810-21), who expanded opportunities for Emancipists (freed convicts) and established a balance of power with the Exclusionists (large landowners and sheep farmers). Lord Dunrossil (as William Morrison) was Speaker of the UK House of Commons. However, it remained unclear just whose prerogative it now became to decide who new governors-general would be. In 1986 the letters patent were amended again, and governors-general appointed from that time were again, ex officio, entitled to the post-nominal AC (although if they already held a knighthood in the order that superior rank was retained). Sir William Deane (governor-general 19962001) described one of his functions as being "Chief Mourner" at prominent funerals. Tel: (02) 6283 3604 In the United Kingdom, the reserve powers of the monarch (which are typically referred to as the "royal prerogative")[29] are not explicitly stated in constitutional enactments, and are the province of convention and common law. It is generally held that the governor-general may use powers without ministerial advice in the following situations: The use of the reserve powers may arise in the following circumstances: The above is not an exhaustive list, and new situations may arise. [61] The memorandum met with strong opposition within the Colonial Office and was dismissed by Lord Milner, the Colonial Secretary; no response was given. From Federation in 1901 until 1965, 11 out of the 15 governors-general were British aristocrats; they included six barons, two viscounts, two earls, and one royal duke. In Commentaries on the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, Garran noted that, since the Australian executive is national in nature (being dependent on the nationally elected House of Representatives, rather than the Senate), "the Governor-General, as the official head of the Executive, does not in the smallest degree represent any federal element; if he represents anything he is the image and embodiment of national unity and the outward and visible representation of the Imperial relationship of the Commonwealth".[34]. The Governor-General has some of the responsibility for ensuring that Australia is governed according to the rules set out in the Constitution. When the late Queen Elizabeth II was in Australia, the Queen's Personal Australian Flag was flown on the car in which she was travelling. 2014-2019. They had the right to "reserve" legislation passed by the Parliament of Australia: in effect, to ask the Colonial Office in London for an opinion before giving the royal assent. According to Section 2 of the Australian Constitution, the Governor-General is appointed by the King to be His Majesty's representative in Australia. She was the first woman to be the Governor-General. attending the opening of a new Parliament and making a speech about what the new government intends to do, administering the oath of office to the Prime Minister, ministers, judges and other officials, meeting foreign heads of state and ambassadors. Since May 2013, the style used by a former governor-general is the Honourable; it was at the same time retrospectively granted for life to all previous holders of the office.[54]. General David Hurley was a retired Chief of Defence Force and former Governor of New South Wales. As the Balfour Declaration of 1926, later implemented as the Statute of Westminster 1931, put it: It is desirable formally to place on record a definition of the position held by the Governor-General as His Majesty's representative in the Dominions. Lord Dudley was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (19021905). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The constitution describes the parliament of the commonwealth as consisting of the Monarch, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Recipients come from right across the country and from all walks of life. Of the eleven Australians appointed governor-general since 1965, Lord Casey, Sir Paul Hasluck and Bill Hayden were former federal parliamentarians; Sir John Kerr was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Sir Ninian Stephen and Sir William Deane were appointed from the bench of the High Court; Sir Zelman Cowen was a vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland and constitutional lawyer; Peter Hollingworth was the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane; and Major-General Michael Jeffery was a retired military officer and former Governor of Western Australia. A similar arrangement is used for the governors of the six states. In recent years best bet is to be a three or four star general. [30] In Australia, however, the powers are explicitly given to the governor-general in the constitution; it is their use that is the subject of convention.[31]. I am committed as Governor-General to support these people in their work. The 736 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia include: The 217 recipients of Meritorious Awards include recipients of the Public Service Medal, the Australian Police Medal, Australian Fire Service Medal, Emergency Services Medal, the Australian Corrections Medal and the Australian Intelligence Medal. The Constitution of Australia, section 2, provides: A Governor-General appointed by the Queen shall be Her Majesty's representative in the Commonwealth, and shall have and may exercise in the Commonwealth during the Queen's pleasure, but subject to this Constitution, such powers and functions of the Queen as Her Majesty may be pleased to assign to him. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will represent Australia at King Charles coronation in May. The office of "governor-general" was previously used in Australia in the mid-19th century. Scullin's proposed appointment of Sir Isaac Isaacs was fiercely opposed by the British government. Sir Isaac Isaacs was successively Commonwealth Attorney-General, a High Court judge, and Chief Justice. These means the Governor-General is a part of both the Parliament and the executive government, and carries out tasks on behalf of the King. Formerly, all governors-general automatically became a knight upon being sworn in.[55]. The governor-general is officially appointed by the monarch of Britain but is recommended by the prime minister of Australia. [35] However, an Australian governor-general did not exercise that right until 1971, when Paul Hasluck visited New Zealand. Powers exercised in council, which are not reserve powers, include: All such actions are taken on the advice of ministers. The Governor-General is the Chancellor of the Order of Australia and each year approves awards to recognise the service and contribution of outstanding Australians through the Australian Honours and AwardsSystem. The most important power is found in section 58: "When a proposed law passed by both Houses of Parliament is presented to the Governor-General for the Queen's assent, he shall declare that he assents in the Queen's name." On 18 March 2020,[32] a human biosecurity emergency was declared in Australia owing to the risks to human health posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, after the National Security Committee met the previous day. The Governor-General was sworn-in on 1 July 2019. [37], Under section 68 of the constitution, "the command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the GovernorGeneral". SA Premier Steven Marshall said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary would replace current Governor Hieu Van Le. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales, serving from 2014 to 2019. A number of governors-general have reserved royal assent for particular legislation for the Monarch. "[21], As early as 1901, the authoritative commentary by Quick and Garran had noted that the governor-general of Australia was distinguished from other Empire governors-general by the fact that "[t]he principal and most important of his powers and functions, legislative as well as executive, are expressly conferred on him by the terms of the Constitution itself not by Royal authority, but by statutory authority". The governor-general presides over a Federal Executive Council. Governor-General of Australia The usual wording of official announcements of this nature read "The King has been pleased to appoint ", but on this occasion the announcement said merely "The King has appointed ", and his private secretary (Lord Stamfordham) asked the Australian solicitor-general, Sir Robert Garran, to make sure that Scullin was aware of the exact wording. 1414 Words; 6 Pages; The Australian Constitution And The Use Of Convention Essay. Please note that all correspondence isprocessed by the Office before coming to the attention of the Governor-General. Early governors-general were British and were appointed by the queen or king on the recommendation of the Colonial Office. The first four governors-general were peers; Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson (appointed 1914) was the first commoner to hold the position, although he was also later elevated to the peerage. [33] The Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration 2020 was declared by Governor-General David Hurley under Section 475 of the Act. [10] They are entitled to the courtesy style Her Excellency or His Excellency during the office-holder's term of office. On this occasion the governor-general, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the government of Gough Whitlam when the Senate withheld Supply to the government, even though Whitlam retained the confidence of the House of Representatives. He stated that the governor-general was more than a representative of the sovereign, explaining: "under section 2 of the Constitution the Governor-General is the Queen's representative and exercises certain royal prerogative powers and functions; under section 61 of the Constitution the Governor-General is the holder of a quite separate and independent office created, not by the Crown, but by the Constitution, and empowered to exercise, in his own right as Governor-General all the powers and functions of Australia's head of state."[21]. In 1975, Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam advised the Queen that Sir Colin Hannah, then Governor of Queensland, should have his dormant commission revoked for having made public and partisan anti-Whitlam Government political statements, in violation of the convention that state governors and federal governors-general remain neutral and above politics. Leading Australias response, celebration and acknowledgement at commemorative events. Commonwealth of Australia | Page last reviewed 15 Sept 2022, Welcome to the Parliamentary Education Office. The governor-general has a ceremonial role in swearing in and accepting the resignations of members of Parliament. [47] He did however serve as the association's patron during his term of office. The salutation for a letter should be "Your Excellency" or "Dear Governor-General". These powers remain in section 59 of the Constitution of Australia, but today are regarded as dead letters. Governor-General Read the Australia Day 2023 Honours list Attend the first ever 'Open Evening' at Government House on Friday 17 March from 3:00-7:00pm Subscribe to the new Order of Australia newsletter - Above and beyond - to learn about the amazing people recognised through the Order. - hear from some recipients. David Hurley was appointed governor-general in 2019 By Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney In the past fortnight, Australia has been gripped by revelations that former Australian Prime. Sections 58 to 60 allow the governor-general to withhold assent, suggest changes, refer to the Monarch or proclaim that the Monarch has annulled the legislation. [26] This view was also held by Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania Andrew Inglis Clark, who, with W. Harrison Moore (a contributor to the first draft of the constitution put before the 1897 Adelaide Convention and professor of law at the University of Melbourne), postulated that the letters patent and the royal instructions issued by Queen Victoria were unnecessary "or even of doubtful legality". After Scullin's defeat in 1931, non-Labor governments continued to recommend British people for appointment as governor-general, but such appointments remained solely a matter between the Australian government and the monarch. Dunrossil died in office on 3 February 1961. Become an expert in teaching about the Australian Parliament with our curriculum-aligned education. Later, the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley received Mr Gary Meyers, Ambassador, St Vincent's Hospital, on the completion of Mr Meyer's walk from Sydney to Canberra. Write to the Governor-General or Government House at: Government House received Ms Minoli Perera, Ambassador- designate to Zimbabwe. And the first female governor-general was Quentin Bryce, who took up the position in 2008. Today, the law ensures the salary is higher than that for the Chief Justice of the High Court, over a five-year period. "[22] The changes occurred in 1984 when Queen Victoria's letters patent and instructions were revoked and replaced with new letters patent,[23] on Prime Minister Bob Hawke's advice, who stated that this would clarify the governor-general's position under the constitution.[24][25]. "The visit will celebrate Britain's relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values," Buckingham Palace said. Scullin recommended the Australian jurist Sir Isaac Isaacs, and he insisted that George V act on the advice of his Australian prime minister in this matter. Each state has a governor, who is appointed by the King on the advice of the Premier (head of government) of that state. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd). These fall roughly into three categories: constitutional and statutory duties, formal ceremonial duties, and non-ceremonial social duties. At the start of Chapter 2 on executive government, the constitution says "The executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen and is exercisable by the Governor-General as the Queen's representative". Secondly lead a very successful life Reaching top of profession and be a bridge builder within you that profession.