Governor-General of Australia

The governor-general of Australia was the representative of the monarch, in Australia between 1 January 1901 and 2019. The Commonwealth of Australia was founded as a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1901 and the office of governor-general was established as the representative of the monarch. 118 years later the country declared itself a republic and the historic link with the British monarchy was broken. The office of governor-general was abolished.

Method of appointment
The governor-general was formally appointed by the monarch of Australia, pursuant to Letters Patent issued by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth as Queen of Australia. Conventionally, the ministers of the Australian Government gave a recommendation to the Queen on who should be appointed.

Having agreed to the appointment, the monarch then permited it to be publicly announced in advance, usually several months before the end of the current governor-general's term. During these months, the person was referred to as the governor-general-designate. After receiving their commission, the governor-general took an Oath of Allegiance to the monarch and an Oath of Office, undertaking to serve Australia's monarch "according to law, in the office of governor-general of the Commonwealth of Australia". These rituals were witnessed by the chief justice of the High Court or another senior judge. Traditionally, the swearing-in of a new governor-general took place in the Senate chamber.

History
For the first two decades after federation, governors-general were selected solely by the British Government. The monarch was consulted on the decision into the 1930s. The first four governors-general were peers; Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson (appointed 1914) was the first commoner to hold the position, although he was also later elevated to the peerage. In 1920, Billy Hughes became the first Prime Minister to be consulted over the governor-generalship. Stanley Bruce (1925) and Joseph Lyons (1935) either asked for or were given a list of suitable candidates to choose from.

James Scullin (1930) became the first Prime Minister of Australia to exercise complete discretion in the appointment; his nomination of Sir Isaac Isaacs made Australia the first Dominion to have a native-born governor-general. In 1945, John Curtin nominated Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to the post – the first and only royal officeholder. A second Australian (William McKell) was appointed in 1947; he was followed by three more Britons, each chosen by Sir Robert Menzies. Menzies's fourth nomination was Richard Casey, who took office in 1965; he and all subsequent governors-general were Australian citizens. All states except South Australia and Tasmania have provided at least one appointee. The first and only female governor-general, Quentin Bryce, took office in 2008.