Editing Governor-General of Australia (section)

==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, which fixed an annual amount of [[Australian pound|A£]]10,000 until the parliament decided otherwise. The Constitution also provides that the salary of the 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 is now set by ''Governor-General Act 1974'', which has been amended on each new commission to set the governor-general's salary to an amount slightly higher than the 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 to take into account any existing pension the incoming governor-general currently receives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madden |first=Cathy |date=2014-02-27 |title=Governor-General's salary |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2014/February/Governor-Generals-salary |access-date= |website=Parliament of Australia |series=FlagPost |language=en-AU}}</ref> This provision led to the salary increase of current governor-general [[Samantha Mostyn]] (of $495,000 to $709,017) being significantly greater than other new governors-general, as unlike previous governor-general [[David Hurley]], she does not receive a military pension.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Albanese |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Albanese |date=2024-07-01 |title=Governor-General Amendment (Salary) Bill 2024: Explanatory Memoranda |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fems%2Fr7184_ems_9ad3b3b2-0ea3-4968-a2e0-5bf75ee1ed41%22 |website=[[Parliament of Australia]] |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 generous pension.<ref name="GGASalary">{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|ga1974182|Governor-General Act 1974|3}}</ref>{{refn|The pension is 60% of the salary of the [[Chief Justice of Australia|chief justice]] at the end of the governor-general's term.<ref>{{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 |title=Herald Sun, 18 June 2008, governor-general Quentin Bryce to get pay rise |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23881081-662,00.html}}</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. Tasmanian governor Sir [[Stanley Burbury]] extensively lobbied his government in an attempt to regain the right to wear a uniform, going as far to contact Sir John Kerr in desperation, hoping he could contact the Palace directly.<ref name=":11" /> However, it does not appear that he was successful.

===Titles and honours===
Governors-general have during their tenure the style ''His/Her [[Excellency]] [[the Honourable]]'' and their [[Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia|spouses]] have the style ''His/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]].