Editing Governor-General of Australia (section)

==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 in July 1900, returning to Australia shortly before the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. 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).