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]. A similar arrangement is used for the governors of the six states. Sir Isaac Issacs had the esteemed honour of becoming the first Australian-born governor-general in 1931. Through her private secretary, she wrote that she "has no part in the decisions which the Governor-General must take in accordance with the Constitution". After elections, or when a government loses or wins a majority in the Australian House of Representatives , the Governor General is the person who legally decides that the prime minister has the numbers to lead a government. Most spouses of governors-general have been content to be quietly supportive. She was in office when, on 19 March 2014, Elizabeth II, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, amended the letters patent of the Order of Australia to provide, inter alia, that the governor-general would be, ex officio, Principal Knight or Principal Dame of the order. Dunrossil died in office on 3 February 1961. Australia's constitution, which can be considered crudely as an amalgam of the constitutional forms of the United Kingdom and the United States, was adopted in 1900 and entered into force in 1901. [46] Bill Hayden declined the office on the grounds of his atheism, which was incompatible with the Scout Promise. On 8 May 1953 Slim was sworn in as governor-general of Australia. [66], In 1965 the Menzies conservative government appointed an Australian, Lord Casey, and thereafter only Australians have held the position. [9] Governors-General since 1901 are listed in Appendix 1. A second Australian (William McKell) was appointed in 1947; he was followed by three more Britons, each chosen by Sir Robert Menzies. Recipients come from right across the country and from all walks of life. That position, though now generally well recognised, undoubtedly represents a development from an earlier stage when the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of His Majesty's Ministers in London and acted also as their representative. Leading Australias response, celebration and acknowledgement at commemorative events. 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. The Constitution sets out some specific tasks for the Governor-General, including: The Governor-General's ceremonial and constitutional roles are closely related. 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. The letters released on Tuesday revealed that Kerr, who as Governor-General was the Queen's official representative in Australia, held extensive discussions with the palace over what powers he held. The Australian Constitution And The Use Of Convention Essay. [35] However, an Australian governor-general did not exercise that right until 1971, when Paul Hasluck visited New Zealand. log in. [5] The governor-general has formal presidency over the Federal Executive Council and is commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force. Scullin cited the precedents of the prime minister of South Africa, J. A number of governors-general have reserved royal assent for particular legislation for the Monarch. Verified. Both of these appointments had been agreed to despite British government objections. 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". Please read ourPrivacy Statement, The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, E-mail the Governor-General or Government House, Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley's biography, Receiving a congratulatory message from the Governor-General, The Governor-General's Official residences. Dame Quentin Bryce was the first governor-general to have had no prior title or pre-nominal style. It is played at all official and ceremonial . At the end of this initial term, a commission may be extended for a short time, usually to avoid conflict with an election or during political difficulties.[6]. Governors-General Since 1901 There have been twenty-seven Governors-General of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1901. 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. However, Scullin stood firm, saying he would be prepared to fight a general election on the issue of whether an Australian should be prevented from becoming governor-general because he was Australian. 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. The Governor-General is appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister and performs a large number of functions which are defined by the Constitution. Early governors-general were British and were appointed by the queen or king on the recommendation of the Colonial Office. Travelling widely to encourage and acknowledge individuals and groups making a substantial contribution to the community, Responding quickly and compassionately on behalf of all Australians to natural disasters and events of national significance. Appointment The Governor-General is appointed by the Crown, in practice on the advice of Australian Ministers of the Crown. Don't have an account? Dame Quentin Bryce (20082014) was the first woman to be appointed to the office. [5] The monarch then permits the recommendation to be publicly announced, usually several months before the end of the existing governor-general's term. Significant post-retirement activities of earlier Governors-General have included: Lord Tennyson was appointed Deputy Governor of the Isle of Wight; Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson (by now Lord Novar) became Secretary of State for Scotland; and Lord Gowrie became Chairman of the Marylebone Cricket Club (Lord Forster had also held this post, before his appointment as governor-general). [59], The early governors-general frequently sought advice on the exercise of their powers from judges of the High Court of Australia, Sir Samuel Griffith and Sir Edmund Barton. By convention, the prime minister is appointed to this council and advises as to which parliamentarians shall become ministers and parliamentary secretaries. YARRALUMLA ACT 2600, Tel: (02) 6283 3533E-mail the Governor-General or Government House. The Governor-General does not have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the government but has a role in both the government and the Parliament. Australia's national anthem is Advance Australia Fair. These duties are essential to Australia's modern democracy, however perhaps the most important role of the Governor-General is their work in the Australian community. This right not only to advise the monarch directly, but also to expect that advice to be accepted, was soon taken up by all the other Dominion prime ministers. The Governor-General of Australia is a powerful person in the country. 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. 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. In the face of this provision, I feel it is difficult to contend that the Queen, even though present in Australia, may exercise in person functions of executive government which are specifically assigned by the constitution to the Governor-General. However, it remained unclear just whose prerogative it now became to decide who new governors-general would be. [51] However, for official business, the current choice of car is an armoured BMW 7 Series.[52]. Congratulations to the outstanding Australians recognised in todays Honours List. Mr Albanese told reporters on Saturday how he has accepted an invitation to attend the crowning of the monarch in the United Kingdom alongside Mr Hurley. 25. The constitution describes the parliament of the commonwealth as consisting of the Monarch, the Senate and the House of Representatives. [32], In addition to the formal constitutional role, the governor-general has a representative and ceremonial role, though the extent and nature of that role has depended on the expectations of the time, the individual in office at the time, the wishes of the incumbent government, and the individual's reputation in the wider community. Some early governors-general were appointed to terms of just one year (Lord Tennyson) or two years (Lord Forster; later extended). Three governors-general have resigned their commission. The same individuals were also usually either peers, knights, or both (the only Australian peer to be appointed as governor-general was the Lord Casey; and Sir William McKell was knighted only in 1951, some years into his term, but he was entitled to the style "The Honourable" during his tenure as premier of New South Wales, an office he held until almost immediately before his appointment). A biography for the Governor-General can be found on the Governor-General's website. Hopetoun left for England on 17 July 1902. Dunrossil Drive This fact sheet introduces the constitutional, ceremonial and civic roles of the Governor-General, and the history of the position. Sir Isaac Isaacs was successively Commonwealth Attorney-General, a High Court judge, and Chief Justice. "It was a great honour for me to have an audience with King Charles. In a very real sense, they represented the British Government. The governor-general of Australia is the head of the executive branch of the federal government, serving as the representative of the Australian monarch (currently Charles III). The King and Queen Consort will first head to France on March 16, where they will undertake engagements in Paris and Bordeaux. In 1945, John Curtin nominated Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to the post the first and only royal officeholder. Former leading politicians and members of the judiciary have figured prominently. General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO MC (Retd) Sydney NSW. The Governor-General encourages, articulates and represents the things that unite Australia as a nation. The Governor-General engaging in ceremonial 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". Scullin was equally insistent that the monarch must act on the relevant prime minister's direct advice (the practice until 1926 was that Dominion prime ministers advised the monarch indirectly, through the British government, which effectively had a veto over any proposal it did not agree with). "Whether that be to tackle climate change; respond to the conflict in Ukraine; seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture. 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. Governors-general have during their tenure the style His/Her Excellency the Honourable and their spouses have the style His/Her Excellency. Only one governor-general, Dame Quentin Bryce (20082014), has been a woman. The Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) educates Australians about, and inspires their enthusiasm for, Australias parliamentary democracy. Sir William McKell was Premier of New South Wales. Menzies had sought a man of stature, one who had no involvement in Australian politics, and one who would represent the monarch effectively. There are countless organisations and people demonstrating how rich this country is each day. Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce AD, CVO (ne Strachan; born 23 December 1942) was the 25th Governor-General of Australia, from September 2008 to March 2014. The salutation for a letter addressed to the Governor-General and Mrs Hurleyshould be "Your Excellencies". The Governor-General has specific constitutional and statutory powers. These are the people who see us through good times and bad. Become an expert in teaching about the Australian Parliament with our curriculum-aligned education. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General. Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser, who opposed the call out, was responsible for informing Hasluck of the prime minister's lack of consultation. Stanley Bruce (1925) and Joseph Lyons (1935) either asked for or were given a list of suitable candidates to choose from. The Governor-General is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. 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). 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. Casey had twice called McMahon into Yarralumla to give him a "dressing down" over his poor relationship with Deputy Prime Minister John McEwen, which he believed was affecting the government. The royal assent brings such laws into effect, as legislation, from the date of signing. The Governor-General of Australia is His Majesty The King's representative . Term of Office. 11 November 2020 marks the 45th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor Government in 1975. Sort By: Good Essays. The governor-general is generally invited to become patron of various charitable and service organisations. 2014-2019. [6][12][13] These oaths are administered by the chief justice of Australia or another senior judge. Governor-General Quentin Bryce signs Julia Gillard's commission as prime minister of Australia at Government House, Canberra, 24 June 2010. ", The Governor-General in his swearing-in speech. The monarch was consulted on the decision into the 1930s. Afterwards, the Governor-General hosted a breakfast for The Honourable Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister. By convention, the governor-general and any family occupy an official residence in Canberra, Government House (commonly referred to as Yarralumla). B. M. Hertzog, who had recently insisted on his choice of the Earl of Clarendon as governor-general of that country, and the selection of an Irishman as governor-general of the Irish Free State. I've been invited to his coronation, on the first Saturday in May, I will attend along with the Governor-General, with other guests as well who have been invited by the Palace," he said. - hear from some recipients. [64] (Lord Stamfordham had complained that Scullin had "put a gun to the King's head".). The position came into being with the adoption of the new national constitution on 1 January 1901, and has been held by 27 people since then. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will represent Australia at King Charles coronation in May. The governor-general is supported by a staff (of 80 in 2018[7]) headed by the official secretary to the governor-general of Australia. The first female Governor-General was the Honourable Dame Quentin Alice Bryce AD, CVO, who served from 2008 to 2014. The events themselves are still contested: the performance . View with description and copyright information. This gives the minister sweeping powers, including imposing restrictions or preventing the movement of people and goods between specified places, and evacuations. "The visit will celebrate Britain's relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values," Buckingham Palace said. The statement was later issued by the Prime Minister's Press Office. A governor-general may be recalled or dismissed by the monarch before their term is complete. Permission should be sought from Office of the Governor-General for third-party or commercial uses of this image. A temporary vacancy also occurred in 2003 when Peter Hollingworth stood aside. Quentin Bryce's salary was $394,000. What is exercisable is original executive power: that is, the very thing vested in the Queen by section 61. 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. On 16 December 2018, prime minister Scott Morrison announced that the next governor-general would be General David Hurley, then-governor of New South Wales. 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. During the 1920s, the importance of the position declined. The Governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia.In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level.In particular the governor has the power to appoint and dismiss the premier of Queensland and all other ministers in the cabinet . She was the first woman to be the Governor-General. [49] The current salary is $425,000 and there is a generous pension. Each year the Governor-General hosts or attends hundreds ofevents around the country and meet tens of thousands of Australians. All the governors-general until 1965 were British-born, except for Australian-born Sir Isaac Isaacs (19311936) and Sir William McKell (19471953). The recipients have had a significant impact at the local, national and international level and are, quite simply, inspiring," the Governor-General said. It is encouraging to see an increase in diversity in the Order of Australia. There have been only Australian occupants since then, although Sir Ninian Stephen (19821989) had been born in Britain. Follow. Mr Albanese added he was looking forward to welcoming King Charles to Australia to mark his first trip Down Under as monarch. Please note that all correspondence isprocessed by the Office before coming to the attention of the Governor-General. [62] In 1925, under Prime Minister Stanley Bruce, the same practice was followed for the appointment of Forster's successor Lord Stonehaven, with the Australian government publicly stating that his name "had been submitted, with others, to the Commonwealth ministry, who had selected him".[63]. 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. 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. The Governor-General is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The governor-general makes state visits overseas on behalf of Australia, during which an administrator of the government is appointed. They appoint a deputy, to whom members make an oath of allegiance before they take their seats. Individual items of correspondence of this type will not be brought to the attention of the Governor-General and senders should not expect a reply. 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]. Quentin Bryce's appointment was announced during her term as Governor of Queensland; she had previously been the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner. 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. In practice, they are Australias Head of State and have a range of constitutional and ceremonial duties. Lord Northcote was Governor of Bombay. 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. In 1989, Bill Hayden, a republican, declined appointment to the British Privy Council and any imperial honours. 1935 saw the appointment of the first British high commissioner to Australia, Geoffrey Whiskard (in office 19361941). Free shipping for many products! The office of "governor-general" was previously used in Australia in the mid-19th century. They are appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, usually for a term of 5 years. The governor-general travels in a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine for ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. Until 2015, the honour continued after the retirement from office of the governor-general. The Constitution of Australia is a written document, which came into effect when the six colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia in . The Governor General does things like opening parliament, and giving out awards on Australia Day. The salutation for a letter addressed to the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley should be "Your Excellencies". The governor-general is formally appointed by the monarch of Australia, in terms of letters patent issued by the monarch at some time during their reign and counter-signed by the then prime minister. However, that custom fell into disuse during the tenure of Sir Paul Hasluck. [61] The memorandum met with strong opposition within the Colonial Office and was dismissed by Lord Milner, the Colonial Secretary; no response was given. 26. Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson had been offered the governorship of South Australia in 1895 and of Victoria in 1910, but refused both appointments. The governor-general presides over a Federal Executive Council. In our opinion it is an essential consequence of the equality of status existing among the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations that the Governor-General of a Dominion is the representative of the Crown, holding in all essential respects the same position in relation to the administration of public affairs in the Dominion as is held by His Majesty the King in Great Britain, and that he is not the representative or agent of His Majesty's Government in Great Britain or of any Department of that Government. Sir William Deane (governor-general 19962001) described one of his functions as being "Chief Mourner" at prominent funerals. More recent governors-general in this category include Lord Casey, Sir Paul Hasluck, Sir John Kerr, Sir Ninian Stephen, Bill Hayden and Sir William Deane. The provisions to select the administrator of the government . The Order belongs to each of us and we each have a part to play. And it is exercisable by the Queen's representative, not her delegate or agent. "[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".