Who is the Governor-General?
Sir David Hurley and Ms Sam Mostyn.
The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Sir David Hurley and Ms Sam Mostyn.
The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Description
Australia's 27th Governor-General Sir David Hurley AC and Australia's 28th Governor-General Ms Sam Mostyn AC
The Governor-General is the King’s representative in Australia. They are appointed by the King on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Governor-General is appointed at ‘the King’s pleasure’, that is, without a fixed term but governors-general are given a 5-year term that can be extended. The Governor-General has some responsibility for making sure Australia is governed according to the rules in the
Australian Constitution
.
The current Governor-General is His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd). His term will expire on the 1 July 2024, when Ms Sam Mostyn AC will be sworn in as Australia's 28th Governor-General.
Constitutional role
Australia is a constitutional monarchy. This means the King is our head of state but does not have absolute power; he must follow the Constitution. The King delegates his powers to the Governor-General.
The Governor-General signing a bill.
Office of the Secretary to the Governor-General
The Governor-General signing a bill.
Office of the Secretary to the Governor-General
Description
The Governor-General wearing a shirt and tie sits at a desk with a pen in hand signing a piece of paper. Behind him is an Australian flag.
Section 1 of the Australian Constitution says the Australian Parliament is made up of the King (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate and the House of Representatives. Section 61 of the Constitution says executive power is given to the King and delegated to the Governor-General. This means the Governor-General is a part of both the Parliament and the government, and carries out tasks on behalf of the King.
The Constitution gives the Governor-General the power to:
- give Royal Assent to a bill ? proposed law ? passed by the Senate and House of Representatives. The Governor-General may recommend changes to a bill; however, no Governor-General has ever refused to give Royal Assent.
- start the process for a federal election
- set times for the meeting of Parliament
- call a
joint sitting
of Parliament
- act as Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force.
The Governor-General also has reserve powers not included in the Constitution. They come from the authority of the King, who the Governor-General represents. The only guide to these powers is convention ? tradition. The use of reserve powers by governors-general is rare and have only been used a handful of times. This means the exact nature and scope of these powers is open to debate.
The Governor-General’s reserve powers are generally agreed to include the power to:
- appoint a Prime Minister if an election has not resulted in a clear outcome
- dismiss a Prime Minister if they have lost the support of the majority of members of the House of Representatives
- refuse a request from a Prime Minister to call an election
- refuse a request for a
double dissolution
- dismiss a Prime Minister or minister if they break the law.
Ceremonial role
The Governor-General's ceremonial and constitutional roles are closely related. The Governor-General's ceremonial duties include:
- attending the opening of a new Parliament and making a speech about what the new government wants to do
- administering the oath of office to the Prime Minister, ministers, judges and other officials
- meeting foreign heads of state and ambassadors
- attending Anzac Day ceremonies
- awarding special honours.
Civic role
The Governor-General engaging in ceremonial duties.
Office of the Governor-General
The Governor-General engaging in ceremonial duties.
Office of the Governor-General
Description
The Governor-General, wearing a suit and medals on the left side of his chest, talks to people in a crowd.
An important part of the role of the Governor-General is engaging with the Australian community. Some of the ways the Governor-General does this include:
- visiting places hit by a national disaster, such as floods or fire
- opening and attending national and international meetings and conferences
- attending exhibitions, sporting events and functions as an official patron of organisations
- visiting regions or areas to meet people involved in a particular group or industry.