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Governor-General of Australia

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The Governor-General is Australia's de facto head of state, and is appointed by the reigning monarch of the British Commonwealth on the "advice and recommendation" of the Prime Minister. A convention has evolved that this advice is always followed, without consultation with other individuals (in the early days of Australia's history, the British government had considerable say into the appointment). The de jure head of state for Australia is the reigning monarch of the British Commonwealth (presently Queen Elizabeth II).

The office of Governor-General was created when the Australian Constitution entered into force on January 1, 1901. The first Governor-General, Rt Hon John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, was British; an Australian did not become Governor-General until the appointment in 1931 of Rt Hon Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, the ninth Governor-General.

The Governor-General is commander-in-chief of the Australian armed forces, and is responsible for signing into law all Acts of the Australian Parliament, and many (though not all) Regulations made under those Acts. He is responsible for the calling of elections and the appointment of the Prime Minister. He also has "reserve powers", whose boundaries are not clearly defined within the Constitution, and which are rarely used, but which were important in the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975.

Whilst in theory the Governor-General wields almost dictatorial powers, in practice his powers are very limited. By Convention, he acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and Ministers, i.e. he does what they say. He is advised by the Executive Council, which consists of the current and all former Comonwealth ministers, although only the current ministers are permitted to attend its meetings.

The office of Governor-General is regulated primarily by the Australian constitution and by the Governor-General Act 1974.

One largely unresolved issue is the forced removal of a Governor-General before their term is complete - an event that has not yet occurred. It is generally accepted that the Monarch would have no choice but to dismiss the Governor-General on the written advice of the Australian Prime Minister, and replace them with the Prime Minister's nominee. However, it is unclear how quickly the monarch would act on such advice in a constitutional crisis, where a race could theoretically emerge between a Governor-General and the Prime Minister to sack the other.

The issue of becoming a republic (ie. removing the constitutional ties with the British monarchy) continues to be raised repeatedly in Australia, although the idea was defeated in a nationwide referendum held in 1999. In most of the proposed republican models, the office of the Governor-General is effectively preserved (in the practical sense described above), although the title is changed to President.

Canada also has an office of Governor-General, similar to that of Australia: See Governor-General of Canada.

See also: republicanism in Australia

Website: http://www.gg.gov.au

Governors-General of Australia

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