Editing Governor-General of Australia (section)

==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|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'' (Cth) [https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/xx4.html s 4]</ref> By convention, the longest-serving state governor holds a [[dormant commission]], allowing an assumption of office to commence whenever a vacancy occurs. In 1975, [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] prime minister [[Gough Whitlam]] advised the Queen that Sir [[Colin Hannah]], then [[governor of Queensland]], should have his dormant commission revoked for having made public and partisan anti-[[Whitlam government]] political statements, in violation of the [[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>

=== 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>