View source for Governor-General of Australia

{{Short description|Federal representative of the Australian monarch}}
{{for|a list of office holders|List of governors-general of Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
<!--references to the office of GG in the body of the article are not capitalised, following [[MOS:JOBTITLES]]-->
{{Infobox official post
| post = Governor-General
| body = the Commonwealth of Australia
| image = Sam Mostyn 2024.jpg
| flag = Flag of the Governor-General of Australia.svg
| flagcaption = [[Flag of the governor-general of Australia|Flag of the governor-general]]
| flagsize = 160px
| flagborder = yes
| insignia = Badge of the Governor-General of Australia (Tudor Crown).svg
| insigniasize = 50px
| insigniacaption = Badge
| incumbent = [[Sam Mostyn]]
| incumbentsince = 1 July 2024
| department = [[Viceroy#Commonwealth realms|Viceregal]]
| style = [[Excellency|Her Excellency the Honourable]]
| residence = [[Government House, Canberra|Government House]] ([[Canberra]])<br />[[Admiralty House, Kirribilli|Admiralty House]] ([[Sydney]])
| appointer = [[Monarchy of Australia|Monarch of Australia]]
| appointer_qualified = on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of the [[Prime Minister of Australia|prime minister]]
| termlength = [[At His Majesty's pleasure]]
| termlength_qualified = (typically 5 years)<ref name=PEOGG/>
| formation = 29 October 1900<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General 29 October 1900 (UK) |url=https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-13.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Documenting a Democracy}}</ref>
| first = [[John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun]]
| salary = $709,017<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|ga1974182|Governor-General Act 1974|3}}.</ref>
| website = {{URL|gg.gov.au}}
| constituting_instrument = ''[[Australian Constitution]]'' {{URL|http://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx2.html|section 2}}
}}
{{Monarchy of Australia}}
The '''governor-general of Australia'''{{Efn|Formally the '''Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia'''.}} is the [[Politics of Australia#Federal nature|federal]] representative of the [[Monarchy of Australia|monarch of Australia]], currently {{Current Australian monarch |Charles III}}. The governor-general has many constitutional and ceremonial roles in the [[Politics of Australia|Australian political system]], in which they have independent agency. However, they are generally bound by [[Convention (political norm)|convention]] to act on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of Australia|prime minister]] and the [[Federal Executive Council (Australia)|Federal Executive Council]].<ref name="PEOGG">{{Cite web |date=10 November 2023 |title=Governor-General |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/parliament-and-its-people/people-in-parliament/governor-general |access-date=6 August 2025 |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en-AU}}</ref> 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 [[Parliament of Australia|the houses of parliament]], issuing [[writs for election]]s, 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 and awards system|Australian honours]].<ref name="GGSrole">{{cite web |title=The role of the Governor-General |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/role-governor-general |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105073127/https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/role-governor-general |archive-date=5 January 2024 |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> 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 of Australia|Parliament]] (such as when selecting the prime minister and providing [[royal assent]]) or on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of ministers (when performing executive actions). However, in certain limited circumstances, the governor-general can exercise [[reserve power]]s (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, Canberra|Government House]] in Canberra and [[Admiralty House, Sydney|Admiralty House]] in Sydney). Internationally, the governor-general represents Australia by travelling to significant events and by performing and receiving [[state visit]]s. The governor-general is supported by a staff (of 80 in 2018<ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Shane |date=31 December 2018 |title=Governor-General pleads for more cash to do his job after budget blowout |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/governor-general-pleads-for-more-cash-to-do-his-job-after-budget-blowout-20181230-p50ot0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230171317/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/governor-general-pleads-for-more-cash-to-do-his-job-after-budget-blowout-20181230-p50ot0.html |archive-date=30 December 2018 |access-date=31 December 2018 |work=Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>) headed by the [[official secretary to the governor-general of Australia|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2023 |title=How is the governor-general appointed and what is their role? |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name="HoR Practice">{{Cite book |last=Elder |first=D. R. |title=House of Representative Practice |date=2018 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives |isbn=978-1-74366-654-8 |editor-last=Elder |editor-first=D R |edition=7th |location=[[Canberra]], Australia |pages= |language=en-AU |chapter=Governor-General |editor-last2=Fowler |editor-first2=P E |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter1/Governor-General}}</ref> Their term is [[At His Majesty's pleasure|not fixed]], but they typically serve for five years. From [[Federation of Australia|Federation]] in 1901 until 1965, 11 out of the 15 governors-general were [[Peerages in the United Kingdom|British aristocrats]]; however, all since then have been [[Australian citizens]].{{Efn|All but one have also been Australian born, with the exception of Sir [[Ninian Stephen]], who arrived in Australia as a teenager.}} The current governor-general, [[Sam Mostyn|Samantha Mostyn]], is the second woman to hold the post, after Dame [[Quentin Bryce]] (2008–2014).<ref>{{cite web |last=Albanese |first=Anthony |date=3 April 2024 |title=Australia's new Governor-General |url=https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australias-new-governor-general |access-date=4 April 2024 |website=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet}}</ref><ref name="GGAppointment">{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Tessa |date=3 April 2024 |title=Anthony Albanese announces Samantha Mostyn as Australia's next governor-general |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-03/samantha-mostyn-will-be-australias-next-governor-general/103661250 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/jDQZU |archive-date=3 April 2024 |access-date=3 April 2024 |work=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=3 April 2024 |title=Sam Mostyn announced as next governor general of Australia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/03/samantha-mostyn-sam-governor-general-australia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403083908/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/03/samantha-mostyn-sam-governor-general-australia |archive-date=3 April 2024 |access-date=3 April 2024 |work=[[Australian Associated Press]] |via=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==Appointment==
[[File:David Hurley swearing-in.jpg|thumb|[[David Hurley]] (centre) at his swearing-in as governor-general in 2019]]

The governor-general is formally appointed by the [[monarch of Australia]] with a commission made under the authority of section 2 of the [[Constitution of Australia|Constitution]] and regulated by [[letters patent]] issued by the monarch.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |pages=337–8 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=21 August 2008 |title=Letters Patent Relating to the Office of Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2019Q00001/latest/text |access-date=3 September 2021 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |series=[[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]] |id=Gazette No. S179 of 2008}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2 July 2019 |title=Governor-General's Commission |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2019G00563/latest/text |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115045923/https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2019G00563/latest/text |archive-date=2024-01-15 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |series=[[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]] |id=Federal Register id: C2019G00563}}</ref> When a new governor-general is to be appointed, the current prime minister recommends a name to the monarch, who by convention accepts that recommendation.<ref name="HoR Practice" /> Prior to the 1940s, the recommendation was made and decided by the [[Cabinet of Australia|Cabinet]] as a whole.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pyke |first=John |title=Government powers under a Federal Constitution: constitutional law in Australia |date=2020 |publisher=Lawbook Co |isbn=978-0-455-24415-0 |edition=2nd |location=Pyrmont, NSW |pages=291–2 |language=en-AU}}</ref> The incoming governor-general is publicly announced usually several months before the end of the existing governor-general's term. After receiving their commission, the new governor-general takes an [[Oath of Allegiance (Australia)|oath or affirmation of allegiance]] to the monarch and an [[Oath of Allegiance (Australia)#Oath of Office|oath or affirmation of office]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/governor-general_hurley_-_oath_of_allegiance.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227085015/https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/governor-general_hurley_-_oath_of_allegiance.pdf |archive-date=2020-02-27 |url-status=live|title=Oath of Allegiance|website=Governor-General of Australia|date=1 July 2019|access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/governor-general_hurley_-_oath_of_office.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227085023/https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/governor-general_hurley_-_oath_of_office.pdf |archive-date=2020-02-27 |url-status=live|title=Oath of Office|website=Governor-General of Australia|date=1 July 2019|access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref> These oaths are administered by the [[chief justice of Australia]] or another justice of the High Court.<ref name=":1" /> Traditionally, the ceremony takes place in the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] chamber.<ref name="HoR Practice" />

=== Tenure ===
The [[Constitution of Australia|Constitution]] does not set a term of office, so a governor-general may continue to hold office for any agreed length of time. In recent decades the typical term of office has been five years. Some early governors-general were appointed to terms of just one year ([[Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson|Lord Tennyson]]) or two years ([[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster|Lord Forster]]; later extended). 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.<ref name="GGSrole"/>

Three governors-general have resigned their commission. The first governor-general, [[John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow|Lord Hopetoun]], asked to be recalled to Britain in 1903 over a dispute about funding for the post. Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|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]]. In 2003, ex-archbishop [[Peter Hollingworth]] voluntarily stood aside while controversial allegations against him were managed, and the [[letters patent]] of the office were amended to take account of this circumstance. He later stepped down over the church's handling of allegations of sexual abuse of boys, for which he apologised before the [[Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/03/peter-hollingworth-apologises-for-poor-handling-of-sex-abuse-complaint|title=Peter Hollingworth apologises for poor handling of sex abuse complaint|agency=Australian Associated Press|date=2 February 2016|website=The Guardian|access-date=24 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824135055/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/03/peter-hollingworth-apologises-for-poor-handling-of-sex-abuse-complaint|archive-date=24 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1961, [[William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil|Lord Dunrossil]] became the first and, to date, only governor-general to die while holding office.

A vacancy occurs on the resignation, death, or incapacity of the governor-general. A temporary vacancy occurs when the governor-general is overseas on official business representing Australia. A temporary vacancy also occurred in 2003 when Peter Hollingworth stood aside.

Section 4 of the Constitution allows the monarch to appoint an [[Administrator (Australia)|administrator]] to carry out the role of governor-general when there is a vacancy.<ref>''[[Australian Constitution]]'' {{URL|https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx4.html|s 4}}.</ref> By convention, each of the state governors holds a [[dormant commission]] as administrator, allowing the longest-serving available governor to assume the office whenever a vacancy occurs. In 1975, [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] prime minister [[Gough Whitlam]] advised Queen [[Elizabeth II]] 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 [[Constitutional convention (political custom)#Australia|convention]] that vice-regal representatives remain neutral and above politics.<ref>{{cite book |last=Twomey |first=Anne |url=https://archive.org/details/chameleoncrownqu0000twom |title=The Chameleon Crown: The Queen and her Australian Governors |publisher=Federation Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-86287-629-3 |location=Annandale, NSW |pages=62–8 |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In May 2023, previous governor-general [[Peter Cosgrove|Sir Peter Cosgrove]] was specially commissioned to act as administrator due to governor-general [[David Hurley]] and all of the state governors simultaneously being absent from Australia to attend the [[coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Governor-General to attend Coronation and undertake State Visit to Greece |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/media/governor-general-attend-coronation-and-undertake-state-visit-greece |website=Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia |publisher=[[Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia|Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2 May 2023 |title=Commission to Administer the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2023G00483/asmade/text |access-date=4 October 2025 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=1 May 2023 |title=Proclamation - Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - 30 April 2023 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2023G00481/asmade/text |access-date=4 October 2025 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]]}}</ref>

=== Dismissal ===
A governor-general may be recalled or dismissed by the monarch before their term is complete. 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 [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|constitutional crisis of 1975]] raised the possibility of the prime minister and the governor-general attempting to dismiss each other at the same time. According to [[William McMahon]], [[Harold Holt]] considered having [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Lord Casey]] dismissed from the governor-generalship, and went as far as to have the necessary documents drawn up. 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. Holt believed that this was an improper use of his authority, but no further action was taken.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102077013|title=McMahon 'in Casey row'|date=4 April 1988|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406040637/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102077013|archive-date=6 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Constitutional role==
{{Politics of Australia sidebar}}
The governor-general has a key role in performing constitutional duties in all branches of government.

===Role in the Australian Parliament===
The Constitution defines the [[Parliament of the Commonwealth]] as consisting of the monarch, the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] and the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].<ref>''Australian Constitution'' (Cth) [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx1.html s 1].</ref> However, the monarch's role is no more than titular, with the governor-general responsible under the Constitution for most of the functions undertaken by the monarch in regard to the [[UK parliament]].<ref name=":2" /> These include the power to summon, dissolve and prorogue the Parliament,<ref>''Australian Constitution'' (Cth) [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx5.html s 5].</ref> to issue writs for lower house elections,<ref name="s32">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|32}}</ref> to convene a joint sitting,<ref name="s57">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|57}}</ref> as well as the power to give royal assent to bills in the monarch's name.<ref name="s58">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|58}}</ref>

The governor-general also has a ceremonial role in swearing in and accepting the resignations of members of Parliament. All members must make an [[Oath of Allegiance (Australia)|oath or affirmation of allegiance]] to the King in the presence of the governor-general or someone appointed by them before they take their seats.<ref name="s42">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|42}}</ref><ref>''Australian Constitution'' (Cth) [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/sch1.html sch].</ref> On the day parliament opens, the governor-general makes a speech in the Senate (similar to the [[Speech from the throne|King's Speech]] in the UK), entirely written by the government, explaining the government's proposed legislative program.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elder |first=D. R. |title=House of Representative Practice |date=2018 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives |isbn=978-1-74366-654-8 |editor-last=Elder |editor-first=D R |edition=7th |location=[[Canberra]], Australia |pages= |language=en-AU |chapter=A Parliament |editor-last2=Fowler |editor-first2=P E |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter7/A_Parliament}}</ref>

One of the most significant powers of the governor-general is the power to grant [[royal assent]] in the King's name.<ref name="s58" /> This assent gives bills that have been passed by the houses of parliament the force of law, with effect either 28 days after being signed, on a date to be fixed later by proclamation or otherwise as provided in the act.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2023 |title=Law-making |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/law-making |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en-AU}}</ref> The government does not formally advise the governor-general to grant assent, but it is expected that they will act in accordance with the democratically elected houses of Parliament and assent has never been refused.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Twomey |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |date=2019-01-29 |title=Why a government would be mad to advise the refusal of royal assent to a bill passed against its will |url=http://theconversation.com/why-a-government-would-be-mad-to-advise-the-refusal-of-royal-assent-to-a-bill-passed-against-its-will-110501 |access-date= |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Greg |date=2008 |title=Refusals of Assent to Bills Passed by Parliament in Germany and Australia |url=https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/FedLawRw/2008/4.html |journal=Federal Law Review |volume=36 |pages=83–116 |doi=10.22145/flr.36.1.4 |s2cid=220296964 |via=[[Austlii]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Apart from assenting to a bill, the governor-general can also reserve a bill for the King's pleasure, that is allow the monarch to give royal assent personally to a proposed bill.<ref name="s58" /> When the governor-general acted as a representative of the British government, this provision allowed for the governor-general to refer a bill back to the British government for review, which would then advise the monarch whether or not to grant assent.<ref name="s58" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |pages=72–3, 82–3 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref> The British government could also advise the monarch to disallow a law passed within the last two years, which would annul the law on the governor-general's proclamation or message to the houses.<ref name="s59">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|59}}</ref> However, since the assumption of full sovereignty and the emergence of an independent Crown of Australia, the British government no longer has these powers and the reservation power has only occasionally been used for bills that affect the monarch personally, such as the ''Royal Styles and Titles Act'' (1953 and 1973) and other bills of national significance such as the ''[[Flags Act 1953]]'' and the ''[[Australia Act 1986]]''.<ref name=":7" />

Finally, the governor-general can refer a bill back to the houses with suggested changes.<ref name="s58" /> This has only happened when once passed, the government has realised a bill requires further amendment and requests the governor-general return the bill to the house.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |title=House of Representative Practice |date=2018 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives |isbn=978-1-74366-654-8 |editor-last=Elder |editor-first=D R |edition=7th |location=[[Canberra]], Australia |pages= |language=en-AU |chapter=Presentation of bills for assent |editor-last2=Fowler |editor-first2=P E |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter10/Presentation_of_bills_for_assent}}</ref>

===Role in executive government===
[[File:Peter Cosgrove with Second Turnbull Ministry 2016.jpg|thumb|Governor-General [[Peter Cosgrove]] with ministers and parliamentary secretaries of the [[Second Turnbull ministry]], 2016]]

Under the Constitution, the executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the monarch, but is exercisable by the governor-general.<ref name="s61">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|61}}</ref> However, such power is only exercised on the advice of ministers in accordance with the principles of [[responsible government]]. This occurs formally through the [[Federal Executive Council (Australia)|Federal Executive Council]], a body of all current (and technically former) ministers that advises the governor-general.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/federal-executive-council-handbook-2021 |title=Federal Executive Council Handbook 2021 |date=2021 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |isbn=978-1-925364-53-8 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=House of Representative Practice |date=2018 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives |isbn=978-1-74366-654-8 |editor-last=Elder |editor-first=D R |edition=7th |location=[[Canberra]], Australia |pages= |language=en-AU |chapter=Federal Executive Council |editor-last2=Fowler |editor-first2=P E |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter2/Federal_Executive_Council}}</ref> Such advice is generally the result of decisions already made in [[Cabinet of Australia|Cabinet]], the ''de facto'' highest executive body in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Nov 2023 |title=Cabinet |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/parliament-and-its-people/government/cabinet |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en}}</ref> While some provisions in the Constitution refer the "Governor-General" and others to the "Governor-General in Council", this does not mean that there is in element of discretion in the former; this distinction merely indicates that the former powers were those that were historically classified as belonging to the prerogative of the monarch alone.<ref name=":2" />

Many executive powers are also bestowed on the governor-general by statute. This allow the government of the day (acting through the governor-general) to perform certain acts that would otherwise require legislation. Such provisions are often made for situations where legislating may be too slow; for example for the declaration of and response to emergencies. An example this was the declaration on the advice of the health minister of a [[state of emergency|human biosecurity emergency]] under the ''[[Biosecurity Act 2015]]'' in March 2020, due to the outbreak of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=emergdec>{{cite web | last=McPhee | first=Sarah | title=Human biosecurity emergency declared in Australia | website=[[news.com.au]] | date=17 March 2020 | url=https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/coronavirus-australia-human-biosecurity-emergency-declared/news-story/cd7fbff78297c076c8bb774595459c59 | access-date=23 March 2020}}</ref><ref name=decl>{{cite web|url=https://nswbar.asn.au/uploads/pdf-documents/biosecurity_emergency.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329074727/https://nswbar.asn.au/uploads/pdf-documents/biosecurity_emergency.pdf |archive-date=2020-03-29 |url-status=live|title=Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration2020| access-date=29 March 2020|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref>

Formally, the governor-general may exercise the traditional rights of the monarch as identified by [[Bagehot]]: the right to be consulted, to encourage and to warn.<ref>{{Cite AustLII|litigants=FAI Insurances Ltd v Winneke|source=HCA|num=26|year=1982|parallelcite=(1982) 151 CLR 342}}, Wilson J para 24.</ref> However, the practical ability to exercise this right is limited. Unlike in Canada or the UK, there is no tradition of regular weekly meetings between the governor-general and the prime minister, with meetings instead sporadically held at the request of either party. There is at least a theoretically greater capacity to exercise influence at the regular meetings of the Federal Executive Council at Government House. However, this opportunity is practically constrained too: by the large volume of often complex and legalistic materials considered; by the lack of a requirement for those executive councillors (ministers) present to be properly briefed; by the fact that executive councillors may not have sufficient seniority in the government such that warnings or encouragements would be considered; and by the expectation of some governments that the governor-general should act as a [[Rubber stamp (politics)|rubber stamp]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Boyce |first=P. J. |title=The Queen's other realms: the Crown and its legacy in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand |date=2008 |publisher=Federation Press |isbn=978-1-86287-700-9 |location=Sydney |pages=124–30 |language=en}}</ref>

===Reserve powers===
[[File:Malcolm Turnbull visits Peter Cosgrove to request double dissolution.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister [[Malcolm Turnbull]] meeting with Governor-General Sir [[Peter Cosgrove]] on 8 May 2016 to request a [[double dissolution]]]]

The reserve powers are those powers that the governor-general may exercise independently, that is in the absence of or against ministerial advice.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Infosheet 20 - The Australian System of Government |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/00_-_Infosheets/Infosheet_20_-_The_Australian_system_of_government |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Parliament of Australia |language=en-AU |quote=}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Downing |first=Susan |date=23 January 1998 |title=The Reserve Powers of the Governor-General |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/IAR30/upload_binary/iar303.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22library/prspub/IAR30%22 |series=Parliamentary Library Research Note |issn=1328-8016 |id=Number 25, 1997–98}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |pages=92–93 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref> While most of these powers are listed in the Constitution, the circumstances in which they can be used with discretion is not prescribed and is a matter of convention.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=14 December 2023 |title=What are reserve powers? |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en-AU}}</ref>

The reserve powers that are generally accepted are:<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |pages=326–7 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref>
* the discretion to select a prime minister if an election results in a parliament in which no party or coalition has a clear majority
* the power to dismiss a prime minister that has lost the support of the House of Representatives
* the power to refuse to dissolve the House of Representatives

The reserve powers that are the subject of greater debate are:<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" />

* the power to refuse a double dissolution
* the power to refuse a [[prorogation]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Twomey |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |title=The Veiled Sceptre: Reserve Powers of Heads of State in Westminster Systems |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-29784-5 |pages=587–9 |chapter=Prorogation}}</ref>{{Efn|For instance, during the [[2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis]], Governor-General [[Sir Peter Cosgrove]] indicated to Prime Minister [[Malcolm Turnbull]] that he would have refused to prorogue the parliament had he been asked while the resolution of by-elections was to be determined.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turnbull |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Turnbull |title=A Bigger Picture |date=2020 |publisher=Hardie Grant Books |isbn=978-1-74379-563-7 |location= |pages=554–5 |oclc=}}</ref>}}
* the discretion to select a prime minister following the dismissal of a prime minister that has lost the support of the House of Representatives
* the power to dismiss a prime minister who is unable to obtain supply and refuses to resign or advise a dissolution
* the power to dismiss a prime minister that has broken the law
* the power to refuse royal assent

The most prominent use of the reserve powers occurred in the course of the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis]], in which governor-general Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] dismissed the government of [[Gough Whitlam]] and appointed opposition leader [[Malcolm Fraser]] as prime minister while an election was held.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Twomey |first=Anne |date=2017-04-19 |title=Australian politics explainer: Gough Whitlam's dismissal as prime minister |url=http://theconversation.com/australian-politics-explainer-gough-whitlams-dismissal-as-prime-minister-74148 |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> Kerr acted following the blocking of [[Appropriation bill|supply]] by the opposition controlled Senate, arguing that this gave him both the right and duty to dismiss the government when they did not resign or advise an election.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reserve Powers and the Whitlam dismissal |url=https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/constitution/reserve-powers-and-the-whitlam-dismissal/ |website=Rule of Law Education Centre |access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref> The event remains one of the most highly debated and controversial in Australian political history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Michael |date=2005 |title=The Dismissal 30 years on |url=https://dismissed.moadoph.gov.au/epilogue.html |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Dismissed!: Whitlam, Fraser, Kerr and the story of 1975 |publisher=Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House |language=en-AU}}</ref>

=== Deputies of the governor-general ===
[[Section 126 of the Constitution of Australia|Section 126 of the Constitution]] provides for the sovereign to authorise the governor-general to appoint a deputy or deputies to assist in the execution of their duties.<ref name=const>{{cite web |title=The Australian Constitution - Chapter VII: Miscellaneous |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Practice_and_Procedure/Constitution/chapter7#chapter-07_126 |website=Parliament of Australia |publisher=[[Australian Parliament]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |language=en-AU}}</ref> Given the vast size of the country, and the primitive transport arrangements when the constitution was drafted in the late [[19th century]], it was convenient for the governor-general be able to delegate some of their duties to deputies.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quick |first1=John |last2=Garran |first2=Robert |title=The annotated constitution of the Australian Commonwealth |date=1901 |publisher=Angus and Robertson |location=Sydney |page=983 |url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft/page/982/mode/2up |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref> The current authorisation is contained in Part IV of the 2008 [[letters patent]] relating to the Office of governor-general, issued by [[Elizabeth II]].<ref name="letters patent">{{cite web |title=Letters Patent relating to the Office of Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/files/gazettes/historic/2008/2008GN37.pdf |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref>

The [[vice-president of the Executive Council]] is, as a matter of course, appointed a deputy to the governor-general for the purposes of summoning meetings of the [[Federal Executive Council (Australia)|Executive Council]], presiding at meetings of the Executive Council in the absence of the governor-general, and appointing a minister as deputy to the governor-general for the purpose of presiding at a meeting of the Executive Council in the absence of both the governor-general and the vice-president.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of the Vice-President and Other Members of the Federal Executive Council as Deputies of the Governor-General - August 2024 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2024G00555/asmade/text |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |date=2 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of Vice President and Other Members of Executive Council as Deputies to the Governor-General |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2014G00560/latest/text |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]]|access-date=4 October 2025 |date=2 April 2014}}</ref>

The [[chief justice of the High Court of Australia]], or another justice of the High Court, is appointed as deputy of the governor-general to open sessions of the [[Australian Parliament]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Documents Relating to the Opening of Parliament 2025 |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-05/250522%20Documents%20relating%20to%20the%20Opening%20of%20Parliament.pdf |website=Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia |publisher=[[Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia|Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref> and administer oaths or affirmations of allegiance to new [[members of Parliament]] after opening parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annotated Standing Orders of the Australian Senate - Chapter 1 - The opening of Parliament |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Practice_and_Procedure/aso/so001 |website=Australian Parliament House |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |language=en-AU}}</ref> Where there are also new senators, a second High Court justice will be appointed deputy to the governor-general to administer oaths or affirmations of allegiance in the upper house.<ref name="practice">{{cite book |editor1-last=Wright |editor1-first=B C |title=House of Representatives Practice |date=2012 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives, Commonwealth of Australia |isbn=978-1-74366-656-2 |page=3 |edition=7th |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/-/media/05_About_Parliament/53_HoR/532_PPP/Practice7/combined.pdf |access-date=4 October 2025 |chapter=The Parliament and the role of the House}}</ref>

Governors-general regularly appoint [[Governors of the Australian states|state governors]] (most often the governors of [[Governor of New South Wales|New South Wales]] and [[Governor of Victoria|Victoria]], due to their proximity to [[Canberra]]<ref name="practice" />) as deputies of the governor-general so that they may carry out some of the administrative functions of the office when the governor-general is unavailable but in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of Deputies to the Governor-General |url=https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2014G00561 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |date=2 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of Her Excellency the Honourable Jeannette Young AC PSM as Deputy of the Governor-General |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2024G00554/asmade/text |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]]|access-date=4 October 2025 |date=2 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC, as Deputy of the Governor-General |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2019G00643/asmade/text |website=Federal Register of Legislation |publisher=[[Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Australia)|Office of Parliamentary Counsel]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |date=22 July 2019}}</ref> This is in addition to the [[dormant commission]]s the governors hold to [[Administrator (Australia)|administer the Government of the Commonwealth]] when there is no governor-general, or the governor-general is incapacitated or absent from the Commonwealth.

Under [[Section 42 of the Constitution of Australia|Section 42 of the Constitution]], the governor-general may authorise a person to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to newly-elected senators and members of Parliament. In practice, these people are the [[President of the Australian Senate|president of the Senate]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Authorisation to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to senators, dated 26 July 2022 |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Tabled_Documents/69 |website=Australian Parliament House |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |language=en-AU}}</ref> and [[Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives|speaker of the House]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ParlInfo - HVP No 1 - 12 November 2013 : 8 AUTHORITY TO ADMINISTER OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF ALLEGIANCE TO MEMBERS |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fvotes%2F2013-11-12%2F0009%22 |website=Australian Parliament House |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref>

==Ceremonial role==
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. Governors-general generally become patrons of various charitable institutions, present honours and awards, host functions for various groups of people including ambassadors to and from other countries, and travel widely throughout Australia. Sir [[William Deane]] (governor-general 1996–2001) described one of his functions as being "Chief Mourner" at prominent funerals. In ''Commentaries on the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia'', [[Robert Garran]] wrote 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".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quick |first1=John |url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft |title=The Annotated Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth |last2=Garran |first2=Robert |publisher=[[Angus & Robertson]] |year=1901 |isbn=0-9596568-0-4 |location=Sydney, NSW |page=700 |name-list-style=amp |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

That role can become controversial, however, if the governor-general becomes unpopular with sections of the community. The public role adopted by Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] was curtailed considerably after the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|constitutional crisis of 1975]]; Sir [[William Deane]]'s focus on social justice issues provoked both praise and criticism;<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roberts |first=Heather |date=2011 |title=A mirror to the man: reflecting on Justice William Deane: a private man in public office |url=https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AdelLawRw/2011/2.pdf |journal=Adelaide Law Review |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=22–7}}</ref> and [[Peter Hollingworth]] resigned after an independent inquiry determined that when he was the Anglican [[Anglican Diocese of Brisbane|archbishop of Brisbane]], he had knowingly allowed a paedophile priest to continue working.<ref name="abc730">{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2003/s864968.htm|work=[[7.30]]|publisher=[[ABC TV (Australian TV channel)|ABC TV]]|location=Australia|title=Peter Hollingworth calls it quits|date=26 May 2003|author=Geoghegan, Andrew|archive-date=18 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718234114/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2003/s864968.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Diplomatic role===
[[File:Dame Patsy and Sir David with Governor-General and Mrs Hurley.jpg|thumb|Governor-General [[David Hurley]] and Linda Hurley with [[Governor-General of New Zealand|New Zealand Governor-General]] Dame [[Patsy Reddy]] and Sir [[David Gascoigne]] in 2021]]

The governor-general makes [[state visit]]s overseas on behalf of Australia, during which an [[administrator of the government]] is appointed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 April 2023 |title=Governor-General to attend Coronation and undertake State Visit to Greece |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/media/governor-general-attend-coronation-and-undertake-state-visit-greece |website=Governor-General of the Commomwealth of Australia}}</ref> The right of governors-general to make state visits was confirmed at the [[1926 Imperial Conference]], as it was deemed not feasible for the sovereign to pay state visits on behalf of countries other than the United Kingdom.<ref name=smith96>{{cite journal|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/~/link.aspx?_id=D704CA6CD1B549AF8654FDCFBA383150&_z=z|title=An Australian Head of State: An Historical and Contemporary Perspective|first=David|last=Smith|author-link=David Smith (public servant)|year=1996|journal=Papers on Parliament|publisher=Australian Parliamentary Library|volume=27|access-date=7 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124434/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/~/link.aspx?_id=D704CA6CD1B549AF8654FDCFBA383150&_z=z|archive-date=9 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> However, an Australian governor-general did not exercise that right until 1971, when [[Paul Hasluck]] visited New Zealand.<ref name=smith96/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-2466|title=State visit by Governor-General of New Zealand - statement by the prime minister, Mr William McMahon|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|date=8 September 1971|access-date=7 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124216/https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-2466|archive-date=9 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Hasluck's successor [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] made state visits to eight countries, but Kerr's successor [[Zelman Cowen]] made only a single state visit – to Papua New Guinea – as he wished to concentrate on travelling within Australia.<ref name=smith96/> All subsequent governors-general have travelled widely while in office and made multiple state visits. Occasionally governors-general have made extended tours visiting multiple countries, notably in 2009 when [[Quentin Bryce]] visited nine African countries in 19 days.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/criticism-over-ggs-africa-tour-20090308-8sgk.html|title=Criticism over G-G's Africa tour|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=9 March 2009|access-date=7 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124310/https://www.smh.com.au/national/criticism-over-ggs-africa-tour-20090308-8sgk.html|archive-date=9 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 March 2009 |title=Governor-General's Visit to Africa |url=https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-16450 |website=Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet}}</ref>

The governor-general [[accredits]] (i.e. formally validates) Australia's [[ambassador]]s through sending a formal [[letter of credence]] (and a letter of recall at the end of a tenure) to foreign heads of state and government.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |title=Diplomatic and Consular Relations |url=https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AUYrBkIntLaw/1989/24.pdf |journal=Australian Year Book of International Law}}</ref> Similarly, the governor-general formally receives letters from foreign countries during credentials ceremonies for [[Head of mission|heads of missions]] upon their arrival in Canberra.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2. Heads of mission |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/corporate/protocol-guidelines/2-heads-of-mission |accessdate=21 January 2024 |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |series=Protocol Guidelines |at=2.6 Presentation of credentials to the Governor-General}}</ref> Before 1987, Australia's ambassador and [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|high commissioner]] appointments were formally made by the monarch instead.<ref name=":12" />

===Military role===
[[File:Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC investiture (1).jpg|thumb|Governor-general Quentin Bryce awarding the Victoria Cross to Corporal [[Ben Roberts-Smith]], 2011]]
[[File:Australian Governor General insignia 2025.svg|120px|thumb|Governor-General's [[Australian Defence Force ranks|rank insignia]]<ref>{{cite web |date=2019-12-20 |title=Army Dress Manual |url=https://www.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/Army-Dress-Manual-AL5.pdf |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |publisher=Department of Defence |at=Appendix 4H1 |location=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Changes to Army emblems 2025 |url=https://www.army.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are/army-brand/changes-army-emblems-2025#:~:text=The%20primary%20changes%20involve%3A,III%20to%20symbolise%20his%20reign. |publisher=Department of Defence |access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref>]]

[[Section 68 of the Constitution of Australia|Under section 68 of the Constitution]], the [[command-in-chief]] of Australia's military forces is "vested in the Governor‑General as the Queen's representative".<ref name="s68">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|68}}</ref> Views on the effect of this section vary, from merely making the governor-general "in effect no more than a glorified Patron of the Defence Forces" to alternatively making the governor-general the ultimate head of military chain of command who may influence or deny the use of the military if it is to be used for domestic political ends.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Stephen |first=Ninian |author-link=Ninian Stephen |date=21 June 1983 |title=The Governor-General as Commander-in-Chief |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/governor-general-commander-chief |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320174412/https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/governor-general-commander-chief |archive-date=20 March 2018 |website=Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Twomey |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |date=2024-09-03 |title=Explainer: the governor-general is also commander-in-chief of the defence forces. What does this mean in practice? |url=https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-governor-general-is-also-commander-in-chief-of-the-defence-forces-what-does-this-mean-in-practice-237959 |website=The Conversation |language=en-AU}}</ref> Ex-governor-general Sir [[Ninian Stephen]] stated that his view of the section was that it vests command of the military in the governor-general personally, but only to the extent that the power to give orders or call out the military does not require formal advice from the Federal Executive Council but instead the direct advice of the relevant minister.<ref name=":8" /> Other powers exist in the ''Defence Force Act 1903'', such as the power to appoint the [[Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)|chief of the Defence Force]],<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|da190356|Defence Act 1903|12}}</ref> to call out the Defence Force,<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|da190356|Defence Act 1903|33}}</ref> and declare a time of war, exercised as ordinary executive powers on advice.<ref name=":9">{{cite news |author=McKeown |first1=Deirdre |last2=Jordan |first2=Roy |date=22 March 2010 |title=Parliamentary involvement in declaring war and deploying forces overseas |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/5M8W6/upload_binary/5m8w60.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22library/prspub/5M8W6%22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929003716/https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bn/pol/parliamentaryinvolvement.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2018 |access-date= |work=Parliamentary Library Background Note |publisher= |pages=}}</ref> Additionally, all officers are appointed by the governor-general on behalf of the monarch with a personally signed commission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ranks |url=https://www.army.gov.au/about-us/ranks |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Australian Army}}</ref>

Historically, the power to declare war and make peace rested with the monarch (as advised by the British government) in their role as head of the [[British Empire]].<ref>{{Cite AustLII|litigants=Farey v Burvett|link=Farey v Burvett|source=HCA|num=36|year=1916|parallelcite=(1916) 21 CLR 433|date=8 June 1916}}. "The creation of a state of war and the establishment of peace necessarily reside in the Sovereign himself as the head of the Empire".</ref> This was the position of Robert Menzies in 1939, who assumed that the declaration of war by the United Kingdom in World War II automatically applied to Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Menzies |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Menzies |title=War in Europe Again - 'My Melancholy Duty' |url=https://www.nla.gov.au/digital-classroom/year-10/internment-world-war-ii-1939-45/themes/war-europe-again-my-melancholy |website=National Library of Australia |quote=Fellow Australians, ... Great Britain has declared war upon her, and that, as a result, Australia is also at war.}}</ref> However, in 1941 opinion had shifted and the [[Curtin government]] advised the governor-general to declare war on several [[Axis powers]]. However, it was still unclear whether the governor-general had the constitutional power to declare war, so in addition to requesting the assignment of powers by the monarch to the governor-general, the government also requested King [[George VI]] make similar proclamations of war on Australia's behalf.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |page=342 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref><ref name=":9" /> No formal declarations of war have been made since World War II, although other declarations on the start and end of time of "active service" have been made in other conflicts.<ref name=":9" />

The powers of command-in-chief are vested in the governor-general rather than the "Governor-General in Council", but this does not denote an element of personal discretion in their exercise.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Ninian Stephen]] |date=21 June 1983 |title=The Governor-General as Commander-in-Chief |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/governor-general-commander-chief |url-status=dead |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422113620/http://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/governor-general-commander-chief |archive-date=22 April 2018 |quote=It seems clear that no question of any reserve power lurks within the terms of s.68 and practical considerations make it essential, even were constitutional ones not also to require it, that the Governor-General should have no independent discretion conferred upon him by that section...}}</ref> However, in 1970 governor-general [[Paul Hasluck]] refused prime minister [[John Gorton]]'s request to authorise a [[Pacific Islands Regiment]] peacekeeping mission in the [[Territory of Papua and New Guinea]], on the ground that cabinet had not been consulted. Gorton agreed to put the matter to his ministers, and a cabinet meeting agreed that troops should be called out only if requested by the territory's [[List of Administrators and High Commissioners of Papua New Guinea|administrator]]; this did not occur. Defence minister [[Malcolm Fraser]], who opposed the call out, was responsible for informing Hasluck of the prime minister's lack of consultation.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Malcolm Fraser]] and [[Margaret Simons]]|title=Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs|page=206|publisher=The Miegunyah Press|year=2011}}</ref> The incident contributed to Fraser's resignation from cabinet in 1971 and Gorton's subsequent [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1971|loss of the prime ministership]].<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011), p. 222.</ref>

==Community role==
The governor-general is generally invited to become patron of various charitable and service organisations. Historically the governor-general has also served as [[Scouts Australia|Chief Scout of Australia]]. The chief scout is nominated by the Scouting Association's National Executive Committee and is invited by the president of the Scout Association to accept the appointment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=734 |title=Chief Scout |publisher=Scouts Australia |access-date=15 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012082612/http://scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=734 |archive-date=12 October 2007 }}</ref> [[Bill Hayden]] declined the office on the grounds of his [[atheism]], which was incompatible with the [[Scout Promise]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Brief Comments |journal=On Target from Australia |volume=25 |issue=13 |publisher=Australian League of Rights |date=14 April 1989 |url=http://www.alor.org/Volume25/Vol25No13.htm |access-date=15 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204004515/http://www.alor.org/Volume25/Vol25No13.htm |archive-date=4 December 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> He did however serve as the association's patron during his term of office.

==Relationship with the monarch==
{{Further|Australian head of state dispute}}
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II and Quentin Bryce (2011) 2.jpg|thumb|Governor-General Quentin Bryce with Queen Elizabeth II, 2011]]

While the governor-general is the monarch's representative, as provided by section 2 of the Constitution,<ref>''Australian Constitution'' (Cth) [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx2.html s 2]. "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."</ref> the powers they exercise are solely granted by the Constitution.<ref name=":13" /> This was not always seen to be the case however, with section 2 also providing that the governor-general may exercise other powers, subject to the Constitution, that the monarch may assign them. Additionally, the initial letters patent of Queen Victoria purported to create and empower the office of governor-general, despite their assignment already in the Constitution. This was raised as early as 1901, by [[John Quick (politician)|John Quick]] and [[Robert Garran|Garran]] in their authoritative commentary of the Constitution, noting that the governor-general of Australia was distinguished from other imperial 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".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Quick|first1=John|last2=Garran|first2=Robert Randolph|title=The Annotated Constitution of the Australian Commonwealth|url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft|location=Sydney|publisher=Angus & Robertson|year=1901|access-date=25 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325103029/https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft|archive-date=25 March 2014|url-status=live}} [https://archive.org/details/annotatedconstit00quicuoft p 390] .</ref> This view was also held by [[Andrew Inglis Clark]], senior judge of the [[Supreme Court of Tasmania]], 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]]), postulating that the [[letters patent]] and the [[royal instructions]] issued by [[Queen Victoria]] were unnecessary "or even of doubtful legality".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=48|title=Australians for Constitutional Monarchy|website=Australians for Constitutional Monarchy|access-date=24 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624190055/http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=48|archive-date=24 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additionally, it was also previously believed that the monarch retained certain powers, such as the power to declare war, appoint diplomatic officers and to grant [[charters of incorporation]] and as such these powers were assigned separately to the governor-general under section 2.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |pages=341–6 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref> However, the current interpretation of the Constitution is that all royal prerogatives are exercisable by the governor-general under section 61 and in recognition of this, the vesting of additional powers ended in 1987.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |page=343 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref> While separate letters-patent still exist for the governor-general, these merely provide for the appointment of administrator in the case of the governor-general's absence or incapacity and requires the governor-general to make an oath or affirmation of allegiance and one of office.<ref name=":1" />

[[Solicitor-General of Australia|Commonwealth Solicitor-General]] [[Maurice Byers]] stated in 1974: "The constitutional prescription is that executive power is exercisable by the governor-general although vested in the Queen. What is exercisable is original executive power: that is, the very thing vested in the Queen by section 61. And it is exercisable by the Queen's representative, not her delegate or agent."<ref name=norepublic/>

The 1988 Constitutional Commission report explained: "the governor-general is in no sense a delegate of the Queen. The independence of the office is highlighted by changes which have been made in recent years to the Royal Instruments relating to it".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2016976825/view |title=Final report of the Constitutional Commission |date=1988 |isbn=0-644-06897-3 |page=313 |publisher=Australian Government Pub. Service |language=en-AU |via=Trove}}</ref> The changes occurred in 1984 when Queen Victoria's letters patent and instructions were revoked and replaced with new letters patent,<ref>''Office of Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia – Principal – Letters Patent – 21 August 1984, Prerogative Instrument – C2004Q00670''[http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2004Q00670] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063849/https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2004Q00670|date=4 March 2016}}</ref> on prime minister [[Bob Hawke]]'s advice, who stated that this would clarify the governor-general's position under the constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.samuelgriffith.org.au/papers/html/volume8/v8chap8.htm |title=David Smith, ''The Role of the Governor-General'' |access-date=11 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312031538/http://www.samuelgriffith.org.au/papers/html/volume8/v8chap8.htm |archive-date=12 March 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Statement by the Prime Minister to the House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, Vol. H of R. 138, 24 August 1984, p. 380. The Prime Minister tabled a copy of the amended letters patent relating to the office of Governor-General, together with the text of a statement relating to the document, but for some unknown reason he did not read the statement to the House, nor did he seek leave to have it incorporated in Hansard. The statement was later issued by the Prime Minister's Press Office.[http://www.samuelgriffith.org.au/papers/html/volume8/v8chap8.htm#FOOTNOTE_24] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312031538/http://www.samuelgriffith.org.au/papers/html/volume8/v8chap8.htm#FOOTNOTE_24|date=12 March 2005}}</ref>

This remains the case even when the sovereign is in the country: solicitor-general [[Kenneth Bailey (Australian lawyer)|Kenneth Bailey]], prior to the first tour of Australia by its reigning monarch in 1954, explained the position by saying:<ref name="norepublic">{{cite web|url=http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1217&Itemid=25|title=Australians for Constitutional Monarchy|website=Australians for Constitutional Monarchy|access-date=24 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408024639/http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1217&Itemid=25|archive-date=8 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> 
{{Blockquote|text=the Constitution expressly vests in the Governor-General the power or duty to perform a number of the Crown's functions in the Legislature and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth{{spaces}}... The executive power of the Commonwealth, by section 61 of the Constitution, is declared to be vested in the Queen. It is also, in the same section, declared to be "exercisable" by the Governor-General as the Queen's representative. 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.}}The monarch did not overturn the actions of governor-general Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] in his dismissal of the prime ministership and government of Gough Whitlam during the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis]], with the Queen's private secretary arguing that the power to commission the prime minister was "clearly placed within the jurisdiction of the governor-general, and The Queen has no part in the decisions which the Governor-General must take in accordance with the Constitution".<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=House of Representatives Practice |date=June 2018 |publisher=Department of the House of Representatives |isbn=978-1-74366-654-8 |editor-last=Elder |editor-first=D R |edition=7th |language=en-AU |chapter=Powers and functions of the Governor-General |editor-last2=Fowler |editor-first2=P E |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter1/Powers_and_Functions_of_the_Governor-General}}</ref> In an address to the [[Sydney Institute]], January 2007, in connection with that event, Sir [[David Smith (public servant)|David Smith]], a retired [[official secretary to the governor-general of Australia]] who had been Kerr's official secretary in 1975, described the constitution as conferring the powers and functions of Australia's head of state on the governor-general in "his own right". 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{{Spaces}}... all the powers and functions of Australia's head of state".<ref name="norepublic" />

==Privileges ==
[[File:Government House, Canberra.jpg|thumb|[[Government House, Canberra]]]]

Governors-general are entitled to various privileges by virtue of holding the office. These include the right to live in [[Government House, Canberra|Government House]] (also known as Yarralumla<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-07-19 |title=Governor General of Australia ~ Government House |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719211832/http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=24 |archive-date=19 July 2008 |access-date=2024-06-13}}</ref>), or [[Admiralty House, Sydney]] the two official residences of the office-holder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Governor-General's Official residences |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/governor-generals-official-residences |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> For transportation, the governor-general has access to a [[Rolls-Royce Phantom VI]] limousine for ceremonial occasions or an armoured [[BMW 7 Series (F01)|BMW 7 Series]] for ordinary official business.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Coleman |first=James |date=27 June 2021 |title=A ride in Australia's most majestic taxi: the Governor-General's Rolls-Royce |url=https://the-riotact.com/a-ride-in-australias-most-majestic-taxi-the-governor-generals-rolls-royce/468927 |access-date= |website=Riotact |language=en}}</ref> These cars fly the [[flag of the governor-general of Australia]] and display the [[Tudor Crown]] instead of number plates. Originally, two Phantoms were available after being purchased in the 1970s to be used for royal tours. One of these cars was sold in 1995 to a Sydney doctor, having previously carried the Queen during a royal tour and later being pelted with eggs when it carried Sir John Kerr following [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|the Dismissal]] in 1975. The car was then entered into the almost 15,000&nbsp;km long [[Peking to Paris]] rally, where it became known as "Lizzie's Taxi" and secured fourth place.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Warren |author-link=Warren Brown (cartoonist) |date=2004 |title=Vice-Regal Rolls Royce |url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/vice-regal-rolls-royce |website=[[National Film and Sound Archive]] |series=Investigating National Treasures with Warren Brown |type=Video |id=NFSA Id: 1435553}}</ref> The car is now owned by [[Lindsay Fox]] and is often on display as a part of the Fox Classic Car Collection at Queens Warehouse, Melbourne.<ref name=":10" />

===Salary===

The salary of the governor-general was initially set by the Constitution at £10,000.{{Efn|That is, [[pounds sterling]]; an [[Australian pound]] (with the same value) was introduced only in 1910.}} This could be changed by subsequent legislation, although the salary of the current governor-general cannot be changed during their term of office.<ref>''Australian Constitution'' (Cth) [https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx3.html s 3].</ref> Their pay (currently [[Australian dollar|A$]]709,107) is now set by the ''Governor-General Act 1974'', which is amended to set the salary for each new governor-general to an amount slightly higher than the estimated average salary of the [[Chief Justice of Australia|chief justice of the High Court]] over the next five years. Since 1995, this has been reduced by the amount of any pension the incoming governor-general may be receiving from an earlier Commonwealth office.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fems%2Fr7184_ems_9ad3b3b2-0ea3-4968-a2e0-5bf75ee1ed41%22 |title=Governor-General Amendment (Salary) Bill 2024: Explanatory Memoranda |website=[[Parliament of Australia]] |date=1 July 2024 |access-date=31 August 2025|quote=Section 3 of the Constitution provides that the salary of the Governor-General shall not be altered during their continuance in office. The Bill amends the Governor-General Act to change the sum payable for the salary of the Governor-General from $495,000 to $709,017. In line with past practice, the proposed salary is calculated by reference to the estimated average salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia over the notional five-year term of the appointment of the Governor-General. Where, in the past, a Governor-General has been the recipient of other Commonwealth entitlements - such as a judicial pension - the annual salary has been adjusted accordingly. Ms Mostyn is not a recipient of any such entitlements.}}</ref> The governor-general also receives a pension amounting to 60% of the salary of the chief justice when they leave office.<ref name="GGASalary">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|ga1974182|Governor-General Act 1974|4}}</ref> Until 2001, governors-general did not pay [[Income tax in Australia|income tax]] on their salary; this was changed after Elizabeth II agreed to pay tax.<ref name="QBS">{{Cite web |website=Herald Sun|date=18 June 2008|title=Governor-general Quentin Bryce to get pay rise |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23881081-662,00.html}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025}}</ref>

===Official dress===
[[File:Portrait of Lord de L'Isle in dress uniform, 1962 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle]], 15th governor-general of Australia (1961–65), in his court uniform]]

Governors-general before the 1970s wore traditional [[Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom#Foreign Service variants|court uniforms]], 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.<ref>[[iarchive:dresswornathisma00trenuoft|Dress worn at His Majesty's court : issued with the authority of the Lord Chamberlain]] {{Cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/dresswornathisma00trenuoft |title=Archived copy |access-date=1 September 2016 |archive-date=9 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609090532/https://archive.org/details/dresswornathisma00trenuoft |url-status=bot: unknown }} (1912), pp. 49, 50</ref> There is also a tropical version made of white tropical wool cut in a typical military fashion worn with a plumed helmet. However, that custom fell into disuse during the tenure of Sir [[Paul Hasluck]] with governors-general now observing [[informal wear]] day-to-day.

===Titles and honours===
Governors-general have during their tenure the style ''His or Her [[Excellency]] [[the Honourable]]'' and their [[Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia|spouses]] have the style ''His or Her Excellency''. 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.<ref name=thehon>[http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2013G00681 The title 'the Honourable' for Governors-General] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110135637/http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2013G00681 |date=10 November 2013 }}, ''Australian Government Special Gazette'' S No. 54 of 2013.</ref>

From the creation of the [[Order of Australia]] in 1975, the governor-general was, ''[[Ex officio member|ex officio]]'', [[Principal of the Order of Australia|Chancellor and Principal Companion]] of the order, and therefore became entitled to the post-nominal AC. 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. 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).

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 same individuals were also usually either [[Australian peers and baronets|peer]]s, knights, or both (the only Australian peer to be appointed as governor-general was [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|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). In 1989, [[Bill Hayden]], a republican, declined appointment to the British Privy Council and any [[Australian honours system#Imperial honours|imperial honours]]. From that time until 2014, governors-general did not receive automatic titles or honours, other than the post-nominal AC by virtue of being Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Australia. [[Quentin Bryce]] was the first governor-general to have had no prior title or [[Pre-nominal letters|pre-nominal]] style. She was in office when, on 19 March 2014, then prime minister [[Tony Abbott]] advised the Queen to amend the letters patent of the Order of Australia to reinstate knighthoods into the Order, with the governor-general becoming the Principal Knight or Dame of the order.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=A New Honour for Pre-eminent Australians |date=25 March 2014 |publisher=Australian Government: Prime Minister and Cabinet |url=http://www.pm.gov.au/media/2014-03-25/new-honour-pre-eminent-australians |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325130621/http://www.pm.gov.au/media/2014-03-25/new-honour-pre-eminent-australians |archive-date=2014-03-25 |last1=Abbott |first1=Tony |author-link1=Tony Abbott}}</ref> However, in 2015 knighthoods were once again abolished by new prime minister [[Malcolm Turnbull]], with all subsequent governors-general appointed as Companions.

[[Spouse of the governor-general of Australia|Spouses of governors-general]] have no official duties but carry out the role of a vice-regal consort. They are entitled to the courtesy style ''Her Excellency'' or ''His Excellency'' during the office-holder's term of office. Most spouses of governors-general have been content to be quietly supportive. Some, however, have been notable in their own right, such as Dame [[Alexandra Hasluck]], [[Maie Casey, Baroness Casey|Lady Casey]] and [[Michael Bryce]].

==History==
[[File:1900 Letters Patent for the office of Governor-General of Australia.png|thumb|The [[letters patent]] issued by [[Queen Victoria]] in 1900 regulating the office of governor-general]]

Other offices named ''governor-general'' were previously used in Australia in the mid-19th century. Sir [[Charles Augustus FitzRoy|Charles FitzRoy]] (governor of New South Wales from 1846 to 1855) and Sir [[William Denison]] (governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861) also carried the additional title of governor-general because their jurisdiction extended to other colonies in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~natinfo/colony3-3.htm |title=Rulers: Regal and Vice-Regal - Governor-Generals |publisher=Australian Nationalism Information Database |work=Colony and Empire |first=Thomas |last=Ross |access-date=2004-06-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619163640/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~natinfo/colony3-3.htm |archive-date=19 June 2004 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
{{multiple image
| total_width       = 150px
| perrow            = 1/1/1
| image1            = Hopetoun.jpg
| caption1          = [[John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun]], the first governor-general, 1900–1903
| image2            = ac.isaacs.jpg
| caption2          = Sir [[Isaac Isaacs]], the first Australian-born governor-general, 1931–1936
| image3            = Quentin and Michael Bryce (cropped).jpg
| caption3          = Dame [[Quentin Bryce]], the first female governor-general, 2008–2014
}}

The office of governor-general of Australia was conceived during the debates and conventions leading up to [[Federation of Australia|federation]]. The first governor-general, [[John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun]], was a previous [[governor of Victoria]]. He was selected on 14 July 1900 and legally appointed on 29 October 1900, returning to Australia shortly before the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-13.html|title=Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General 29 October 1900 (UK)|website=foundingdocs.gov.au|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref> After the initial confusion of the [[Hopetoun Blunder]], he appointed the first [[prime minister of Australia]], [[Edmund Barton]], to a caretaker government, with the [[1901 Australian federal election|inaugural 1901 federal election]] not occurring until March.

Early governors-general were British and were appointed by the king on the recommendation of the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|Colonial Office]]. The Australian government was merely asked, as a matter of courtesy, whether they approved of the choice or not. Governors-general were expected to exercise a supervisory role over the Australian government in the manner of a colonial governor. In a very real sense, they represented the British government. They had the right to reserve legislation passed by the [[Parliament of Australia]]:<ref name="s58" /> in effect, to ask the [[Colonial Office]] in London for an opinion before giving the [[royal assent]]. They exercised this power several times. The monarch, acting upon advice of the British government, could also disallow any Australian legislation up to a year after the governor-general had given it the assent;<ref name="s59" /> although this power has never been used. These powers remain in section 59 of the [[Constitution of Australia]], but today are regarded as dead letters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cefa.org.au/ccf/role-queen-and-governor-general-australian-democracy|title=The role of the Queen and the Governor-General in Australian democracy|date=17 July 2016|access-date=19 August 2021|website=Constitution Education Fund|quote=Section 59 has never been used and section 60 has been used ten times. However, both sections ceased to operate in the 1930's when the UK Parliament introduced the Statute of Westminster.}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Markwell|first=Donald|author-link=Donald Markwell|title=Griffith, Barton and the Early Governor-Generals: Aspects of Australia's Constitutional Development|year=1999|volume=10|journal=Public Law Review|page=280}}</ref>

In 1919, prime minister [[Billy Hughes]] sent a memorandum to the Colonial Office in which he requested "a real and effective voice in the selection of the King's representative". He further proposed that the [[Dominion]]s be able to nominate their own candidates and that "the field of selection should not exclude citizens of the Dominion itself".{{sfn|Cunneen|1983|p=151}} The memorandum met with strong opposition within the Colonial Office and was dismissed by [[Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner|Lord Milner]], the Colonial Secretary; no response was given. 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. To mollify Hughes, Milner offered him a choice between three candidates. After consulting his cabinet he chose [[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster]].{{sfn|Cunneen|1983|p=152}} In 1925, under prime minister [[Stanley Bruce]], the same practice was followed for the appointment of Forster's successor [[John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven]], with the Australian government publicly stating that his name "had been submitted, with others, to the Commonwealth ministry, who had selected him".{{sfn|Cunneen|1983|p=164}}

During the 1920s, the importance of the position declined. As a result of decisions made at the [[1926 Imperial Conference]], the governor-general ceased to represent the British government diplomatically, and the British right of supervision over Australian affairs was abolished. As a result of the [[Balfour Declaration of 1926]], which declared that the UK and the Dominions to be "autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another", the declaration further stated:

{{Blockquote|text=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.}}

However, it remained unclear just whose prerogative it now became to decide who new governors-general would be. 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. The King maintained that it was now his sole prerogative to choose a governor-general, and he wanted Field-Marshal Sir [[William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood|William Birdwood]] for the Australian post. 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. 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]].

Scullin's proposed appointment of Sir Isaac Isaacs was fiercely opposed by the British government. This was not because of any lack of regard for Isaacs personally, but because the British government considered that the choice of governors-general was, since the [[1926 Imperial Conference]], a matter for the monarch's decision alone. (However, it became very clear in a conversation between Scullin and King George V's private secretary, [[Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham|Lord Stamfordham]], on 11 November 1930, that this was merely the official reason for the objection, with the real reason being that an Australian, no matter how highly regarded personally, was not considered appropriate to be a governor-general.) 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). Scullin cited the precedents of the [[Prime Minister of South Africa|prime minister of South Africa]], [[J. B. M. Hertzog]], who had recently insisted on his choice of [[George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon]] as [[Governor-General of South Africa|governor-general of that country]], and the selection of an Irishman as governor-general of the Irish Free State. Both of these appointments had been agreed to despite British government objections.

Despite these precedents, George V remained reluctant to accept Scullin's recommendation of Isaacs and asked him to consider Birdwood. 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. On 29 November, the King agreed to Isaacs's appointment, but made it clear that he did so only because he felt he had no option.<ref>{{cite book|last=Souter|first=Gavin|title=Acts of Parliament|location=Carlton, Vic|publisher=Melbourne U.P.|year=1988|pages=266–269|isbn=0522843670}}</ref> Lord Stamfordham had complained that Scullin had "put a gun to the King's head".

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 Lord Stamfordham asked the Australian solicitor-general, Sir [[Robert Garran]], to make sure that Scullin was aware of the exact wording.<ref>Gavin Souter, ''Acts of Parliament'', p. 269</ref> The opposition [[Nationalist Party of Australia]] denounced the appointment as "practically republican", but Scullin had set a precedent. The convention gradually became established throughout the [[British Commonwealth]] that the governor-general is a citizen of the country concerned, and is appointed on the advice of the government of that country.

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. 1935 saw the appointment of the first [[List of High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Australia|British High Commissioner to Australia]], [[Geoffrey Whiskard]] (in office 1936–1941).

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. This, among other things, led to the ''[[Statute of Westminster 1931]]'' and to the formal separation of the Crowns of the Dominions.

After Scullin's defeat in [[1931 Australian federal election|1931]], non-[[Australian Labor Party|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. In 1947, Labor appointed a second Australian governor-general, [[William McKell]], who was in office as the Labor [[premier of New South Wales]]. The then leader of the Opposition, [[Robert Menzies]], called McKell's appointment "shocking and humiliating".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lamont|first1=Leonie|title=Signposts|journal=Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 March 2004|volume=37}}</ref>

In 1965 the Menzies conservative government appointed an Australian, [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Lord Casey]], and thereafter only Australians have held the position. However, when the [[Palace papers]] were released in 2020, it was revealed that the [[Fraser government]] in 1976 considered it "highly desirable" that [[Prince Charles]] become governor-general; however the Queen strongly indicated her disapproval of her son taking up the role until "such time as he has a settled married life".<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last1=Judd |first1=Bridget |last2=Tonkin |first2=Leigh |date=2020-07-19 |title=There was more to the Palace letters than just the Dismissal. Here's what you might have missed |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-19/palace-letters-here-are-the-letters-you-might-have-missed/12465294 |access-date= |work=ABC News (Australia) |language=en-AU}}</ref> Additionally, in 2007 media outlets reported that [[Prince William]] might become governor-general of Australia. However, both the prime minister, [[John Howard]], and [[Clarence House]] repudiated the suggestion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Squires|first=Nick|date=30 June 2007|title=Australians reject role for Prince William|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1556101/Australians-reject-role-for-Prince-William.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920091349/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1556101/Australians-reject-role-for-Prince-William.html|archive-date=20 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Backgrounds of governors-general===
All the governors-general until 1965 were British-born, except for Australian-born Sir [[Isaac Isaacs]] (1931–1936) and Sir [[William McKell]] (1947–1953). They included six [[baron]]s, two [[viscount]]s, two [[earl]]s, and one [[British prince|prince]].<ref>{{cite web |date=22 November 2013 |title=Governor-General Quentin Bryce backs gay marriage, Australia becoming a republic in Boyer Lecture |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-22/governor-general-quentin-bryce-backs-gay-marriage-republicanism/5112020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131122110646/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-22/governor-general-quentin-bryce-backs-gay-marriage-republicanism/5112020 |archive-date=22 November 2013 |access-date=22 November 2013 |work=ABC News}}</ref> There have been only Australian occupants since then, although Sir [[Ninian Stephen]] (1982–1989) had been born in Britain. [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester]], was a senior member of the royal family. Dame [[Quentin Bryce]] (2008–2014) was the first woman to be appointed to the office. Sir Isaac Isaacs and Sir [[Zelman Cowen]] were [[Jewish]]; [[Bill Hayden]] was an avowed [[atheist]]<ref>{{cite news |first=Kristian|last=Silva|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-19/bill-hayden-turns-to-god-at-85-baptism-brisbane/10280724 |title=Bill Hayden, former Labor leader, turns to God despite atheist past |work=ABC News |date=19 September 2018 |access-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001031655/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-19/bill-hayden-turns-to-god-at-85-baptism-brisbane/10280724 |archive-date=1 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> during his term and he made an [[Affirmation (law)|affirmation]] rather than swear an oath at the beginning of his commission; the remaining governors-general have been Christian.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Various governors-general had previously served as governors of an Australian state or colony: [[John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow|John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun]] (Victoria 1889–1895); [[Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson]] (South Australia 1899–1902); [[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie]] (South Australia 1928–34; and New South Wales 1935–1936); Major General [[Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer)|Michael Jeffery]] (Western Australia 1993–2000); Dame Quentin Bryce (Queensland 2003–2008); General [[David Hurley]] (New South Wales 2014–2019). Sir [[Ronald Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar|Ronald Munro Ferguson]] had been offered the governorship of South Australia in 1895 and of Victoria in 1910, but refused both appointments. [[Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote]] was [[governor of Bombay]]. Lord Casey was [[governor of Bengal]] in between his periods of service to the [[Parliament of Australia|Commonwealth Parliament]].

Former leading politicians and members of the judiciary have figured prominently. [[William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley]] was [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]] (1902–1905). [[John Baird, 1st Viscount 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 (UK)|Conservative Party]]. Sir Isaac Isaacs was successively Commonwealth attorney-general, a High Court judge, and chief justice. Sir William McKell was premier of New South Wales. [[William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil]] (as William Morrison) was [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the UK House of Commons]]. [[William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle]] was [[secretary of State for Air]] in [[Winston Churchill]]'s cabinet from 1951 to 1955. More recent governors-general in this category include Lord Casey, Sir [[Paul Hasluck]], Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]], Sir Ninian Stephen, [[Bill Hayden]] and Sir [[William Deane]].

Of the eleven Australians appointed governor-general since 1965, Lord Casey, Sir Paul Hasluck and Bill Hayden were former federal [[Member of Parliament|parliamentarians]]; Sir John Kerr was the [[Chief Justice|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 of Australia|High Court]]; Sir Zelman Cowen was a [[Vice-Chancellor|vice-chancellor]] of the [[University of Queensland]] and constitutional lawyer; [[Peter Hollingworth]] was the [[Anglican Church of Australia|Anglican]] [[Archbishop]] of [[Brisbane]]; and Major General Michael Jeffery was a retired [[Officer (armed forces)|military officer]] and former [[governor of Western Australia]]. Quentin Bryce's appointment was announced during her term as [[governor of Queensland]]; she had previously been the Federal [[Sex Discrimination Commissioner]]. General David Hurley was a retired [[Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)|chief of Defence Force]] and former governor of New South Wales.

Significant post-retirement activities of earlier governors-general have included: Lord Tennyson was appointed [[List of Governors of the Isle of Wight|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]] ([[Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster]] had also held this post, before his appointment as governor-general).

==Timeline of governors-general==
{{Main list|List of governors-general of Australia}}
{{#tag:timeline|
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 bar:Hopetoun
  from: 29/10/1900 till: 22/01/1901 color:VIC
  from: 22/01/1901 till: 09/01/1903 color:E7  text:[[John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow|Lord Hopetoun]]
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  from: 09/01/1903 till: 21/01/1904 color:E7  text:[[Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson|Lord Tennyson]] 
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  from: 21/01/1904 till: 09/09/1908 color:E7  text:[[Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote|Lord Northcote]] 
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  from: 18/05/1914 till: 06/10/1920 color:G5  text:[[Ronald Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar|Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson]]
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  from: 06/02/1952 till: 08/05/1953 color:E2  text:[[William McKell|Sir William McKell]]
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  from: 16/02/1989 till: 16/02/1996 color:E2  text:[[Bill Hayden]]
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  from: 16/02/1996 till: 29/06/2001 color:E2  text:[[William Deane|Sir William Deane]]
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  from: 29/06/2001 till: 11/08/2003 color:E2  text:[[Peter Hollingworth]]
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  from: 11/08/2003 till: 05/09/2008 color:E2  text:[[Michael Jeffery]]
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  from: 05/09/2008 till: 28/03/2014 color:E2  text:[[Quentin Bryce|Dame Quentin Bryce]]
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  from: 08/09/2022 till: 01/07/2024 color:C3 text:[[David Hurley]]
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  from: 01/07/2024 till: $today color:C3 text:[[Sam Mostyn]]
}}

==See also==
* [[History of Australia]]
* [[Constitutional history of Australia]]
* [[Chapter II of the Constitution of Australia]]
* [[Governors of the Australian states]]
* [[Viceregal consort of Australia]]
* [[Armorial of the governors-general of Australia]]
* [[British Empire]]
* [[Royal Australian Air Force VIP aircraft]]
* [[Governor-general]] (links to other countries which have governors-general)
* [[Australian VIP transport]]
* Musical composition [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earls_March_TURNER.ogg Earl's March] written by Australian author [[Walter J. Turner]] in 1889 dedicated to Adrian Hope, while in office.

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

* {{Cite book |last=Boyce |first=P. J. |title=The Queen's other realms: the Crown and its legacy in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand |date=2008 |publisher=Federation Press |isbn=978-1-86287-700-9 |location=Sydney}}
* {{cite book |last=Cunneen |first=Christopher |title=King's Men: Australia's Governors-General from Hopetoun to Isaacs |location=Sydney |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1983 |isbn=0-86861-238-3}}
* {{cite journal |last=Markwell |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Markwell |title=Griffith, Barton and the Early Governor-Generals<!--sic-->: Aspects of Australia's Constitutional Development |journal=Public Law Review |date=1999 |volume=10 |issue=4 |page=280}}
* {{cite book |last=Markwell |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Markwell |title=Constitutional Conventions and the Headship of State: Australian Experience |publisher=Connor Court|year=2016 |isbn=9781925501155}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Governors-General of Australia}}
* [https://www.gg.gov.au/ Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia – Official website]

{{Governors-General of Australia}}
{{Parliament of Australia}}
{{Politics of Australia}}
{{Constitution of Australia}}
{{Australia topics}}
{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor-General Of Australia}}
[[Category:Governors-general of Australia| ]]
[[Category:Westminster system]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Australia]]
[[Category:Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:1975 Australian constitutional crisis]]
[[Category:1901 establishments in Australia]]