The governor-general makes state visits overseas on behalf of Australia, during which an administrator of the government is appointed. [5], The constitution does not set a term of office, so a governor-general may continue to hold office for any agreed length of time. 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]. Join in the funand the learningwith the Parliamentary Education Offices immersive learning program. On Thursday 2 March 2023, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) p. resided at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council. Section 1 of the Australian Constitution says that the Parliament is made up of the King, the Senate and the House of Representatives. "Charles is our Head of State, and he will be welcomed here as would other members of the Royal Family at any time," the Prime Minister said. The Governor-General's ceremonial duties include: The Governor-General is in constant contact with the Australian people. Governors-general have during their tenure the style His/Her Excellency the Honourable and their spouses have the style His/Her Excellency. The convention gradually became established throughout the Commonwealth that the Governor-General is a citizen of the country concerned, and is appointed on the advice of the government of that country. 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. The governor-general is supported by a staff (of 80 in 2018[7]) headed by the official secretary to the governor-general of Australia. These powers remain in section 59 of the Constitution of Australia, but today are regarded as dead letters. During these months, the person recommended is referred to as the governor-general-designate. On Thursday 2 March 2023, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) presided at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council. They appoint a deputy, to whom members make an oath of allegiance before they take their seats. The salary of the governor-general was initially set by the constitution, which fixed an annual amount of A10,000 until the parliament decided otherwise. Hosting visiting Heads of State and other prominent visitors to Australia, Receivingthe credentials of newly appointed Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Australia, Through Federal Executive Council, appointing the Chief of Defence Force and Service Chiefs, Commissioning officers in the Navy, Army and Air Force, Presenting Colours, Banners and other Honours to military units and personnel, Visiting military units to acknowledge the service of service personnel. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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. [3][4] The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of government ministers. - hear from some recipients. received Ms Minoli Perera, Ambassador- designate to Zimbabwe. What is exercisable is original executive power: that is, the very thing vested in the Queen by section 61. The royal assent brings such laws into effect, as legislation, from the date of signing. John Robert Kerr (1914-1991), lawyer, judge, and governor-general, was born on 24 September 1914 at Balmain, Sydney, eldest of eight children of New South Wales-born parents Harry Kerr, boilermaker, and his wife Laura May, ne Cardwell. The Australian Constitution And The Use Of Convention Essay. The first Governor-General was the Right Honourable John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, who served from 1901 to 1903. [47] He did however serve as the association's patron during his term of office. The Governor-General's official title is Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will represent Australia at King Charles coronation in May. 25. Lord Dudley was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (19021905). The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election; and bestowing Australian honours.[6]. The first female governor-general, Quentin Bryce, took office in 2008. It is also, in the same section, declared to be "exercisable" by the Governor-General as the Queen's representative. 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. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales, serving from 2014 to 2019. Sir Isaac Isaacs was successively Commonwealth Attorney-General, a High Court judge, and Chief Justice. 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. 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. It is encouraging to see an increase in diversity in the Order of Australia. 48.7K followers. There are countless organisations and people demonstrating how rich this country is each day. 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. In the evening, the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley, as joint Patrons, hosted a reception for the Childrens Medical Research Institute Canberra. After consulting his cabinet he chose Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster. The Australia Day 2023 Honours List recognises and celebrates 1,047 recipients, including 736 in the General Division of the Order of Australia and awards for meritorious, distinguished and conspicuous service. Later, the Governor-General received Ms Minoli Perera, Ambassador- designate to Zimbabwe. The most notable use of the reserve powers occurred in November 1975, in the course of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. [28] However, that custom fell into disuse during the tenure of Sir Paul Hasluck. "It was a great honour for me to have an audience with King Charles. These duties include: There are 2 official residences that can be used by the Governor-General and their family: The first Governor-General was the Right Honourable John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, who served from 1901 to 1903. Lord Dunrossil (as William Morrison) was Speaker of the UK House of Commons. In 1976, the letters patent for the order were amended to introduce the rank of Knight and Dame to the order, and from that time the governor-general became, ex officio, the Chancellor and Principal Knight of the order. [38] There is some ambiguity with regard to the role of the governor-general in declarations of war. Former leading politicians and members of the judiciary have figured prominently. 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]. There have been only Australian occupants since then, although Sir Ninian Stephen (19821989) had been born in Britain. [27], The monarch chose not to intervene during the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, in which Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the Labor government of Gough Whitlam, on the basis that such a decision is a matter "clearly placed within the jurisdiction of the Governor-General". The dismissal of the Whitlam Government by Governor-General Sir John Kerr was perhaps the most dramatic and controversial event in Australia's constitutional and political history. Powers exercised in council, which are not reserve powers, include: All such actions are taken on the advice of ministers. ", To join the conversation, please [35] All subsequent governors-general have travelled widely while in office and made multiple state visits. The Governor-General of Australiais addressed as His/Her Excellencydenoting his/her rank the vice-royal representative of the monarchto a Commonwealth nation. Message from the Governor-General "Congratulations to the outstanding Australians recognised in today's Honours List. Secondly lead a very successful life Reaching top of profession and be a bridge builder within you that profession. In 1947, Labor appointed a second Australian Governor-General, William McKell, who was in office as the Labor premier of New South Wales. The Governor-General. 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. The governor-general now wears an ordinary lounge suit if a man or day dress if a woman. They are appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, usually for a term of 5 years. [66], In 1965 the Menzies conservative government appointed an Australian, Lord Casey, and thereafter only Australians have held the position. In practice, they are Australias Head of State and have a range of constitutional and ceremonial duties. Such decisions are usually taken on the advice of the prime minister, although that is not stated in the constitution. The Governor-General is not part of the government or the opposition and must remain neutral. The Governor-General of Australia is the representative in Australia of Australia's head of state, Charles III. Leading Australias response, celebration and acknowledgement at commemorative events. Australia has had 26 Governors-General. Scullin was partially influenced by the precedent set by the Government of the Irish Free State, which always insisted upon having an Irishman as the governor-general of the Irish Free State. [6] Since 1 July 2019, the governor-general has been General David Hurley.[8][9]. 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. log in. [10] Since then, all but one of the governors-general have been Australian-born; the exception, Sir Ninian Stephen, arrived in Australia as a teenager. H of R. 138, 24 August 1984, p. 380. The first governor-general, Lord Hopetoun, asked to be recalled to Britain in 1903 over a dispute about funding for the post. And the first female governor-general was Quentin Bryce, who took up the position in 2008. Australia's national anthem is Advance Australia Fair. I am committed as Governor-General to support these people in their work. "I think that that will be an enormous occasion.". Despite these precedents, George V remained reluctant to accept Scullin's recommendation of Isaacs and asked him to consider Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood. 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. The Constitution sets out some specific tasks for the Governor-General, including: The Governor-General's ceremonial and constitutional roles are closely related. The office of "governor-general" was previously used in Australia in the mid-19th century. Before this she was the Governor of Queensland and she used to be a lawyer. [61] The memorandum met with strong opposition within the Colonial Office and was dismissed by Lord Milner, the Colonial Secretary; no response was given. His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia will be represented at the coronation of King Charles III by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley, it has been confirmed. 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 . 1414 Words; 6 Pages; The Australian Constitution And The Use Of Convention Essay. Dame Quentin Bryce was the first governor-general to have had no prior title or pre-nominal style. [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. The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and featuring "longstanding traditions and pageantry". 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. 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. 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. 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. [51] However, for official business, the current choice of car is an armoured BMW 7 Series.[52]. I have seen this at work in the people and organisations assisting our veterans, our rural communities that are under stress, asylum seekers who we have accepted into our country and our aboriginal brothers and sisters. Gorton agreed to put the matter to his ministers, and a cabinet meeting agreed that troops should only be called out if requested by the territory's administrator; this did not occur. [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]. 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. [48] Under the Governor-General Act 1974, each new commission has resulted in a pay increase. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Badge Flag of the Governor-General Incumbent David Hurley since 1 July 2019 Viceregal Style His Excellencythe Honourable Status Representative of the Head of state Commander in chief Residence Government House(Canberra) Admiralty House(Sydney) Seat Canberra Nominator Prime Minister of Australia 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. 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]. Three governors-general have resigned their commission. These provisions make it clear that the Monarch's role in the parliament is in name only and the actual responsibility belongs to the governor-general. 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. Buckingham Palace on Friday announced details of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's first overseas trip since assuming their titles after Queen Elizabeth's death. 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. [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]. At one time, governors-general wore the traditional court uniform, consisting of a dark navy wool double-breasted coatee with silver oak leaf and fern embroidery on the collar and cuffs trimmed with silver buttons embossed with the Royal Arms and with bullion edged epaulettes on the shoulders, dark navy trousers with a wide band of silver oak-leaf braid down the outside seam, silver sword belt with ceremonial sword, bicorne cocked hat with plume of ostrich feathers, black patent leather Wellington boots with spurs, etc., that is worn on ceremonial occasions. There are no No. 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". Lord Stonehaven (as John Baird) was Minister for Transport in the Cabinets of Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin; and after his return to Britain he became Chairman of the UK Conservative Party. By convention, the governor-general and any family occupy an official residence in Canberra, Government House (commonly referred to as Yarralumla). Sort By: Good Essays. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout, Join the conversation, you are commenting as. On other occasions royal assent has been given elsewhere. After the initial confusion of the Hopetoun Blunder, he appointed the first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton, to a caretaker government, with the inaugural 1901 federal election not occurring until March. Sir William Deane (governor-general 19962001) described one of his functions as being "Chief Mourner" at prominent funerals. . The governor-general travels in a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine for ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. Please read ourPrivacy Statement. 11 November 2020 marks the 45th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor Government in 1975. The Governor-General is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. Sir William McKell was Premier of New South Wales. The King and Queen Consort will first head to France on March 16, where they will undertake engagements in Paris and Bordeaux. A similar arrangement is used for the governors of the six states. 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. 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." She was the first woman to be the Governor-General. I've spent the morning watching Hurley wander between tables of war widows (average age 81, according to the governor general), microphone in hand, leading them in song over cucumber and smoked . Statement by the Prime Minister to the House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, Vol. [53] There is also a tropical version made of white tropical wool cut in a typical military fashion worn with a plumed helmet. On 8 May 1953 Slim was sworn in as governor-general of Australia. The recipients have had a significant impact at the local, national and international level and are, quite simply, inspiring," the Governor-General said. Ms Adamson, 60, was also Australia's ambassador to China from 2011 . Both of these appointments had been agreed to despite British government objections. 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. From the creation of the Order of Australia in 1975, the governor-general was, ex officio, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the order, and therefore became entitled to the post-nominal AC. 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".