Today, Samantha Mostyn has been sworn in as the 28th Governor-General. She is Australia’s second female Governor-General.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in April that Mostyn would become the new Governor-General, replacing David Hurley.
The lawyer and businesswoman is the former chair of the Federal Government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce.
Ceremony
Samantha Mostyn was sworn in during a ceremony at Parliament House.
In her address, Mostyn said: “The role of Governor-General is not simply to be an observer of an Australian life, but to be a participant. To reflect the Australian character and its fundamentally democratic spirit.”
Governor General
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, meaning the country’s head of state is technically the ‘Crown’ — King Charles III.
However, the King doesn’t have any role in the day-to-day running of Australia’s government. His executive power is carried out by the ‘Governor-General’ in Australia. The role is mostly ceremonial.
A bill does not become law in Australia until the Governor General approves it. They can reject a law, but this has never happened. The Governor-General also swears in Cabinet Ministers.
Salary
Last week, the Government introduced legislation to increase the salary of the Governor General from $495,000 to $709,017.
A document explaining the pay rise says that in the past “a Governor-General has been the recipient of other Commonwealth entitlements” and “Ms Mostyn is not a recipient of any such entitlements”.
For example, previous Governor-General David Hurley’s salary was adjusted to account for the military pension he received.
