Governor General of Australia

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Service flag of the Governor General
Badges: Crown of Edward and acacia leaves

The Governor General of Australia is the representative of the English monarch - currently Elizabeth II - in Australia . The Governor General has been proposed by the Australian Prime Minister and appointed by the Monarch since 1929 . Since 1965 only Australians have been proposed and appointed. The current incumbent is Governor General David Hurley .

The governor general is the supreme power of the executive . The Governor General is President of the Federal Executive Council and Chief Commander of the Australian Armed Forces . The duties of the governor general include appointing ministers, judges and ambassadors. The rights and duties are detailed in the Australian Constitution . Although the Constitution gives the Governor General extensive power, the Governor General (with a few exceptions) only acts on the orders of the Prime Minister and his ministers. Usually the governor general appoints the leader of the largest party or coalitionin the House of Representatives to Prime Minister.

Contrary to this principle, the Governor General John Kerr acted during the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975 : He dismissed the then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and instead appointed Malcolm Fraser as acting Prime Minister. At Malcom Fraser's instructions, Kerr dissolved the Senate and House of Representatives to hold new elections.

The salutation is "His Excellency the Honorable" for male incumbents and "Her Excellency the Honorable" for female incumbents.

literature

  • Christopher Cunneen: Kings' Men: Australia's Governors-General from Hopetoun to Isaacs . Allen and Unwin, 1983, ISBN 0-86861-238-3 .
  • Bill Hayden: Hayden: An Autobiography . Angus & Robertson, 1996, ISBN 0-207-18769-X . (pp 515, 519, 548)

Web links