Governors of The Australian States - Federation

Federation

When the six colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, there were some suggestions that the position of state Governor should be abolished or that its appointment be made by the Governor-General as was (and still is) done in Canada. However, the states insisted on retaining their separate links to the Crown, a concept that can be compared to the American system of separate sovereignty for state and federal governments. The states were concerned that Commonwealth-appointed Governors might be used to do the federal government's bidding, up to and including use of a Governor's reserve powers to dismiss a recalcitrant state government. To ensure that state governments would be free from such extra-constitutional intervention or coercion, state Governors continued to be appointed by the King on the advice of the Colonial Secretary in London, usually after an informal consultation with the state government.

The post of Governor was again called into question during the Depression of the 1930s, when the cost of maintaining six vice-regal establishments (as well as a Governor-General in Canberra) drew criticism from the labour movement and others. During this period some states (notably Western Australia) left the position unfilled as an economy measure for some years, and the vice-regal functions were filled by the state Chief Justices with the title of Administrator. But no state attempted to abolish the post of Governor, and this could not have been done at this time without the consent of the Crown (that is, the British government).

The political role of the Governor became a matter of controversy in 1932 when the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Game, used his reserve power to dismiss the Premier, Jack Lang, on the grounds that Lang was acting illegally. All Governors at this time were British, and most were from the upper classes and political conservatives, and Labor governments always suspected that they had an enemy in Government House. Most Governors, however, tried to act impartially, and some were genuinely popular.

From the 1940s the states, particularly those with Labor governments, began to appoint Australians to the post of Governor. The first Australian governors of each of the states, and their dates of appointment, were:

• New South Wales: Sir John Northcott (1 August 1946)
• Queensland: Sir John Lavarack (1 October 1946)
• Western Australia: Sir James Mitchell (5 October 1948)
• South Australia: Sir James Harrison (4 December 1968)
• Tasmania: Sir Stanley Burbury (5 December 1973)
• Victoria: Sir Henry Winneke (3 June 1974)

Most of the early colonial governors were military or naval officers, and once the governor's role moved from the executive to the ceremonial, most governors were drawn from the ranks of retired officers. Although a few members of the peerage served as governors (the most prominent being Earl Beauchamp in New South Wales), the Australian colonial capitals were generally considered not grand enough to attract senior members of the aristocracy. Even when Australians replaced Britons as governors, most continued to be retired Army, Navy or Air Force officers until the 1970s. The last British governor of an Australian state was Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, who was Governor of Western Australia from 1980 to 1983.

From the 1960s onward the Governors were appointed by the Crown effectively on the advice of the state Premiers, but it was not until 1986, with the passage of the Australia Acts through the State, Australian and British parliaments, that governors became appointed by the Queen of Australia on the direct advice of the relevant Premier.