There have been twenty-seven Governors-General of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1901.
The Governor-General is officially appointed by the Queen as Head of State. In practice, early Governors-General were appointed by the United Kingdom’s Colonial Secretary. The appointment is now made solely on the recommendation of the Australian prime minister of the day. The Governor-General is usually offered a 5-year term upon appointment.
Note: The table below lists Samantha Mostyn as the 28th Governor-General. Her appointment was announced by Prime Minister Albanese on April 3, 2024. She will take office on July 1.
| Australian Governors-General Since 1901 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Began | Ended | Term | Appointed by PM | Born | Died | Age |
| John Adrian Louis, Earl of Hopetoun |
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| Hallam Tennyson, Baron Tennyson |
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| Henry Stafford, Baron Northcote |
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| William Humble, Earl of Dudley |
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| Thomas Denman, Baron Denman |
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| Sir Ronald Crauford Munro Ferguson, The Viscount Novar |
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| Henry William, Baron Forster of Lepe |
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| John Lawrence, Baron Stonehaven |
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| Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs | ||||||||
| Brigadier General Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, Baron Gowrie | ||||||||
| Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden | ||||||||
| Sir William John McKell | ||||||||
| Field Marshall Sir William Joseph Slim | ||||||||
| William Shepherd, Viscount Dunrossil |
(died in office) |
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| William Philip, Viscount De L’Isle |
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| Richard Gardiner, Baron Casey |
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| Sir Paul Hasluck | ||||||||
| Sir John Robert Kerr | ||||||||
| Sir Zelman Cowen | ||||||||
| Sir Ninian Martin Stephen | ||||||||
| William George (Bill) Hayden | ||||||||
| Sir William Patrick Deane | ||||||||
| Archbishop Peter Hollingworth | ||||||||
| Major-General Michael Jeffery | ||||||||
| Dame Quentin Bryce | ||||||||
| General Sir Peter Cosgrove | ||||||||
| General David Hurley | ||||||||
| Samantha Mostyn | ||||||||
Australian-Born Governors-General
Sir Isaac Isaacs was the first Australian-born Governor-General. His appointment by Labor Prime Minister Scullin in 1930 was reluctantly agreed to by King George V, who wanted to appoint Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood. This was an important turning point in Australian control over the appointment.
After Isaacs, McKell (1947) and Slim (1953) were Australians. Every Governor-General since Lord Casey (1965) has been Australian-born.
Former Politicians
There have been five former Australian politicians appointed Governor-General: Isaacs (Protectionist), McKell (ALP), Casey (Liberal), Hasluck (Liberal) and Hayden (ALP).
In addition, Lord Dudley, Lord Stonehaven, Lord Dunrossil and Lord De L’Isle were active in British politics.
Jurists
Three former High Court Justices have been appointed Governor-General: Isaacs, Stephen and Deane.
Sir John Kerr was Chief Justice of New South Wales, whilst Sir Zelman Cowen was a legal academic.
Military appointments
Four Australian-born governors-general had military backgrounds: Slim, Jeffery, Cosgrove and Hurley.
Women
Quentin Bryce (2008-14) was the first woman to have held the post. She was appointed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Samantha Mostyn will become the second woman to hold the position when she is sworn in on July 1, 2024. She has been appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Longest- and Shortest-Serving
The longest-serving Governor-General was Lord Gowrie, who held the position for nine years (1936-45). The second-longest-serving was Bill Hayden, who held the post for seven years (1989-96).
The shortest-serving Governor-General was Viscount Dunrossil, who died in 1961, just one year and one day after taking office. He is the only Governor-General to have died in office.
Prime Ministerial Appointments
With four selections, Prime Minister Robert Menzies holds the record for the greatest number of vice-regal apppointments.
Three prime ministers each made two appointments: Deakin, Fraser and Howard.
Seventeen prime ministers made one appointment each: Barton, Fisher, Cook, Hughes, Bruce, Scullin, Lyons, Curtin, Chifley, Gorton, Whitlam, Hawke, Keating, Rudd, Abbott, Morrison and Albanese.
Ten prime ministers made no vice-regal appointments: Watson, Reid, Page, Fadden, Forde, Holt, McEwen, McMahon, Gillard and Turnbull.
On December 16, 2018, prime minister Scott Morrison announced the appointment of retired general and current NSW Governor David Hurley as Australia’s 27th governor-general. Sir Peter Cosgrove agreed to stay on as governor-general until June 28, 2019, in order to enable both men to retain their current positions for the duration of the NSW state election (March 23, 2019) and the federal election (May 18, 2019).
Recent Posts
- Samantha Mostyn Appointed 28th Governor-General April 3, 2024
- Governor-General David Hurley’s 2024 Australia Day Address January 27, 2024
- Condolences for Bill Hayden in House of Representatives November 28, 2023
- Morrison, Albanese And Hurley Speak Following G-G Swearing-In July 1, 2019
- David Hurley Sworn In As 27th Governor-General Of Australia July 1, 2019
- Election Officially Over As Writs Returned By AEC June 21, 2019
- Governor-General Summons 46th Parliament For July 2 Meeting June 19, 2019
- Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove’s Speech Opening The 45th Parliament August 30, 2016
- 45th Parliament Opens; Members And Senators Sworn In; House Speaker And Senate President Re-Elected Unopposed August 30, 2016
- Long Tan Commemoration: Cosgrove And Turnbull Pay Tribute On 50th Anniversary Of Vietnam Battle August 18, 2016
- Writs Returned And The 2016 Federal Election Is Officially Over August 8, 2016
- Governor-General Acts On Prime Minister Turnbull’s Advice; Caretaker Period Ends July 11, 2016
- Political Figures Feature In Queen’s Birthday Honours June 13, 2016
- Australian Parliament Dissolved; Governor-General’s Official Secretary Reads Proclamation May 9, 2016
- Government House Releases Double Dissolution Documents May 8, 2016
