Governor-General of Australia

The Governor-General of Australia is the representative in Australia of Australia's head of the state, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of Australia, who lives in the United Kingdom. The function and role of the Governor-General is similar to that of the Queen in the United Kingdom and includes appointing ministers and judges, dissolving Parliament, giving Royal Assent to legislation, issuing writs for elections and bestowing honours. The Governor-General is President of the Executive Council and nominally Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces. All these things are done and all these posts are held under the authority of the Australian Constitution and carried out in the name of the Queen.

Related Topics:
Australia - Queen Elizabeth II - Queen of Australia - United Kingdom - Executive Council - Commander-in-Chief - Australian Constitution

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The Constitution provides that a "Governor-General appointed by the Queen shall be Her Majesty's representative in the Commonwealth . . ." The Constitution grants the Governor-General a wide range of powers, but in practice he or she follows the conventions of the Westminster system and (with occasional and rare exceptions) acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia or other ministers. Even in the appointment of the Prime Minister, the Governor-General rarely exercises any discretion, usually appointing the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in the House of Representatives.

Related Topics:
Queen - Commonwealth - Westminster system - Prime Minister of Australia - House of Representatives

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Beyond his constitutional functions, the Governor-General has an important ceremonial role. He or she travels widely throughout Australia to open conferences, attend services and commemorations and generally "provide encouragement to individuals and groups who are contributing to their communities." http://www.gg.gov.au/textonly/role.html When travelling abroad, the Governor-General is seen as the representative of Australia (not of the Queen of Australia), and is treated as a head of state.

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The main official residence of the Governor-General is Government House, Canberra, commonly known as Yarralumla. There is a second official residence, Admiralty House in Sydney. When visiting the other states, the Governor-General is usually a guest at the Government Houses in the state capitals.

Related Topics:
Government House, Canberra - Admiralty House - Sydney

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