Governor of Western Australia

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Governor of Western Australia
Logo for the Governor of Western Australia.svg
Badge of the governor
Flag of the Governor of Western Australia.svg
Flag of the Governor
Chris Dawson 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Chris Dawson
since 15 July 2022
Viceregal
Style His Excellency the Honourable
Residence Government House, Perth
Seat Perth
Appointer Monarch
on the advice of the premier
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
(usually 5 years by convention)
Formation6 February 1832
First holder Captain James Stirling
Website govhouse.wa.gov.au

The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:

Contents

Furthermore, all bills passed by the Parliament of Western Australia require the governor's signature before they become acts and pass into law. However, since convention almost always requires the governor to act on the advice of the premier and the cabinet, such approval is almost always a formality.

Until the appointment of Sir James Mitchell in 1948, all governors of Western Australia had been British officials. After Mitchell's appointment, a further three Britons served as governor: Mitchell's two immediate successors, and then, from 1980 to 1983, Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge who was the last non-Australian governor of any Australian state. [1]

Styles

The governor of Western Australia is styled "His Excellency" during his term in office (or Her Excellency for a female governor). In August 2014, three of the four living past governors – John Sanderson, Ken Michael and Malcolm McCusker – were given the style "The Honourable", on the recommendation of the premier. [2] The other living former governor, Michael Jeffery, already held the style in virtue of his later service as governor-general of Australia.

Governor's standard

The governor's standard of Western Australia is the same design as the British blue ensign with the union flag at the upper left quarter. On the right side, the state badge of Western Australia, comprising a black swan in a yellow disc, is surmounted by the St. Edward's crown.

If the standard is flying at Government House, on a vehicle or at an event, this indicates that the governor is present.

List of governors and lieutenant-governors

List of governors

No.PortraitGovernorFromTo
1 Jamesstirling.jpg Captain Sir James Stirling RN 6 February 18322 January 1839 [3]
2 John Hutt.jpg John Hutt 3 January 183926 January 1846
3 Andrew Clarke.jpg Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Clarke KCH 27 January 184611 February 1847
- Frederick Irwin (1788-1860).jpg Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Irwin (acting Governor)12 February 184711 August 1848
4 Charles Fitzgerald.jpg Captain Charles Fitzgerald 12 August 184822 July 1855
5 ArthurEdwardKennedy.jpg Sir Arthur Kennedy GCMG CB 23 July 185527 February 1862
6 John Hampton.jpg Dr John Hampton 28 February 18621 November 1868
7 Benjamin Pine.jpg Sir Benjamin Pine [4] 2 November 186829 September 1869
8 Frederick Weld.jpg The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG 30 September 186910 January 1875
9 Williamrobinson.jpg Sir William Robinson GCMG 11 January 187511 November 1877
10 HarryStGeorgeOrd-1877-1880.jpg Major General The Hon. Sir Harry Ord GCMG CB RE [5] 12 November 18779 April 1880
- Williamrobinson.jpg Sir William Robinson GCMG (2nd time)10 April 18801 June 1883
11 Frederick Broome.jpg Sir Frederick Broome KCMG 2 June 188319 October 1890
- Williamrobinson.jpg Sir William Robinson GCMG (3rd time)20 October 189022 December 1895
12 Gerard Smith Governor of WA.jpg Lieutenant Colonel Sir Gerard Smith KCMG 23 December 189530 April 1901
13 Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock.png Sir Arthur Lawley GCIE KCMG 1 May 190123 March 1903
14 Frederick Bedford Vanity Fair 3 December 1903.jpg Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford KCB 24 March 190330 May 1909
15 Gerald Strickland 1930s.jpg Sir Gerald Strickland KCMG 31 May 190916 March 1913
16 HarryBarron.jpg Major General Sir Harry Barron KCMG CVO 17 March 19138 April 1917
17 WGEllison-Macartney.jpg The Rt Hon. Sir William Ellison-Macartney KCMG 9 April 19178 April 1920
18 Francis Newdegate.jpg Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG 9 April 192027 October 1924
19 William Campion.jpg Colonel Sir William Campion KCMG DSO TD 28 October 19248 June 1931
N/A [6] 19311948
20 Sir James Mitchell.jpg Sir James Mitchell GCMG 5 October 194830 June 1951
21 General Sir Charles Gairdner GBE KCMG KCVO CB 6 November 195125 October 1963
22 Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew KCMG CB CBE DSO 25 October 19636 January 1974
23 HughieEdwards.jpg Air Commodore Sir Hughie Edwards VC KCMG CB DSO OBE DFC 7 January 19742 April 1975
24 Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Hart Kyle GCB KCVO CBE DSO DFC 24 November 197524 November 1980
25 Richardtrowbridge.jpg Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge KCVO 25 November 198024 November 1983
26 Professor Gordon Reid AC 2 July 198430 September 1989
27 The Hon. Sir Francis Burt AC KCMG QC 20 March 199031 October 1993
28 Jeffery Michael 030238DI-002.jpg Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC 1 November 199317 August 2000
29 Lieutenant General John Sanderson AC 18 August 200031 October 2005
30 Ken Michael.jpg Dr Ken Michael AC 18 January 20062 May 2011
31 11 Nov gnangarra-10.jpg Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC 1 July 201130 June 2014
32 Kerry Sanderson Governor of Western Australia crop.jpg Kerry Sanderson AC 20 October 20141 May 2018
33 Kim Beazley crop.jpg Kim Beazley AC 1 May 201830 June 2022
34 Chris Dawson 2022.jpg Chris Dawson AC APM 15 July 2022Current

List of lieutenant-governors

The lieutenant-governor serves as deputy to the governor, fulfilling the governor's functions in the governor's absence. [7]

Stirling was only commissioned as the governor of Western Australia on 4 March 1831, rectifying the absence of a legal instrument providing the authority detailed in Stirling's Instructions of 30 December 1828. Stirling had said of his own position:

I believe I am the first Governor who ever formed a settlement without Commission, Laws, Instructions and Salary. [8]

No.PortraitLieutenant-GovernorFromTo
1 Jamesstirling.jpg Captain Sir James Stirling RN 30 December 18285 February 1832 [3]
...
N/A Peter Quinlan 27 November 2019Current

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The following is the order of precedence for Australia:

  1. The King of Australia: His Majesty King Charles III
  2. The Governor-General of Australia: Her Excellency the Hon Sam Mostyn AC
  3. The Governor of the State when within their own State.
  4. The Governors of the other States in order of appointment:
    1. Governor of New South Wales: Margaret Beazley
    2. Governor of Tasmania: Barbara Baker
    3. Governor of South Australia: Frances Adamson
    4. Governor of Queensland: Jeannette Young
    5. Governor of Western Australia: Chris Dawson
    6. Governor of Victoria: Margaret Gardner
  5. When within the Northern Territory, the Administrator of the Northern Territory: Hugh Heggie
  6. The Prime Minister: Anthony Albanese
  7. When within their own State or Territory, the Premier of the State or the Chief Minister of the Territory
  8. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in order of election :
    1. President of the Senate Senator: Sue Lines
    2. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Milton Dick
  9. The Chief Justice of Australia: Stephen Gageler
  10. Senior diplomatic posts:
    1. Ambassadors and High Commissioners in order of date of presentation of the Letters of Credence or Commission
    2. Chargés d'affaires en pied or en titre in order of date of presentation of the Letters of Credence or Commission
    3. Chargés d'affaires ad interim and Acting High Commissioners in order of date of assumption of duties
  11. Members of the Federal Executive Council under summons :
    1. Ministry List
  12. The Administrator of the Northern Territory: Hugh Heggie
  13. The Leader of the Opposition: Peter Dutton
  14. Former holders of high offices:
    1. Former Governors-General in order of leaving office:
      1. William Deane (1996–2001)
      2. Peter Hollingworth (2001–2003)
      3. Quentin Bryce (2008–2014)
      4. Peter Cosgrove (2014–2019)
      5. David Hurley (2019-2024)
    2. Former Prime Ministers in order of leaving office:
      1. Paul Keating (1991–1996)
      2. John Howard (1996–2007)
      3. Kevin Rudd
      4. Julia Gillard (2010–2013)
      5. Tony Abbott (2013–2015)
      6. Malcolm Turnbull (2015–2018)
      7. Scott Morrison (2018–2022)
    3. Former Chief Justices in order of leaving office:
      1. Anthony Mason (1987–1995)
      2. Murray Gleeson (1998–2008)
      3. Robert French (2008–2017)
      4. Susan Kiefel (2017–2023)
  15. Premiers of states in order of state populations, then Chief Ministers of the territories in order of territory populations:
    1. Premier of New South Wales: Chris Minns
    2. Premier of Victoria: Jacinta Allan
    3. Premier of Queensland: Annastacia Palaszczuk
    4. Premier of Western Australia: Roger Cook
    5. Premier of South Australia: Peter Malinauskas
    6. Premier of Tasmania: Jeremy Rockliff
    7. Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory: Andrew Barr
    8. Chief Minister of the Northern Territory: Natasha Fyles
  16. The Lord Mayor when within their jurisdiction
  17. Justices of the High Court in order of appointment:
    1. Michelle Gordon AC
    2. James Edelman
    3. Simon Steward
    4. Jacqueline Sarah Gleeson
    5. Jayne Jagot
    6. Robert Beech-Jones
  18. Senior judges:
    1. Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia: Debra Mortimer
    2. Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia : Will Alstergren
    3. Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia : Jointly held with the above by Will Alstergren
  19. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the (Australian) jurisdiction
  20. The other Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the States and Territories in order of appointment :
    1. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia: The Hon Chris Kourakis SC
    2. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania: The Hon Alan Blow AO
    3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory: Michael Grant
    4. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria: Anne Ferguson
    5. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia: Peter Quinlan SC
    6. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales: The Hon Andrew Bell SC
    7. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory: Lucy McCallum
    8. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland: The Hon Helen Bowskill KC
  21. Australian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in order of appointment:
    1. The Rt Hon Ian Sinclair AC
    2. The Rt Hon Sir William Heseltine
  22. The Chief of the Defence Force
  23. Chief Judges of State and Territory Courts in order of their appointment to any of their respective jurisdictions' courts
  24. Members of Parliament
  25. Presidents of Federal Tribunals:
    1. The President of the Fair Work Commission: The Hon Justice Adam Hatcher SC
    2. The President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal: The Hon Justice Emilios Kyrou AO
  26. Other Judges of Federal, State and Territory Courts in order of their appointment to any of their respective jurisdictions' courts
  27. Lord Mayors of capital cities in order of city populations:
    1. Lord Mayor of Sydney: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Councillor Clover Moore AO
    2. Lord Mayor of Melbourne: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Sally Capp AO
    3. Lord Mayor of Brisbane: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Adrian Schrinner
    4. Lord Mayor of Perth: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Perth, Mr Basil Zempilas
    5. Lord Mayor of Adelaide: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM
    6. Lord Mayor of Hobart: The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Hobart, Councillor Anna Reynolds
    7. Lord Mayor of Darwin: The Rt Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Darwin, the Hon Kon Vatskalis
  28. Heads of religious communities according to the date of assuming office in Australia
  29. The Presiding Officer(s) of the State Legislature when in their own jurisdiction.
  30. Presiding officers of the other State Legislatures in order of appointment, then Presiding Officer of Territory Legislatures in order of appointment:
    1. Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly: Colin Brooks
    2. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland: Curtis Pitt
    3. President of the Victorian Legislative Council: Nazih Elasmar
    4. Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly: Jonathan O'Dea
    5. President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council: Craig Farrell
    6. President of the South Australian Legislative Council: John Dawkins)
    7. Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly: Michelle Roberts)
    8. President of the New South Wales Legislative Council: Matthew Mason-Cox
    9. President of the Western Australian Legislative Council: Alanna Clohesy
    10. Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly: Mark Shelton
    11. Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly: Dan Cregan
    12. Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly: Joy Burch
    13. Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly: Ngaree Ah Kit
  31. The members of the particular State Executive Council under summons, then the Members of the other State Executive Councils in order of state populations, and then the Ministers of the Australian Capital Territory and then Members of the Northern Territory Executive Council:
    1. Executive Council of New South Wales
    2. Executive Council of Victoria
    3. Executive Council of Queensland
    4. Executive Council of Western Australia
    5. Executive Council of South Australia
    6. Executive Council of Tasmania
    7. Ministers of the Australian Capital Territory
    8. Executive Council of the Northern Territory
  32. The Leader of the Opposition of the particular State, and then Leaders of the Opposition of State Legislatures in order of state populations, then Leaders of the Opposition in Territory Legislatures in order of territory populations:
    1. Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales: Mark Speakman
    2. Leader of the Opposition of Victoria: John Pesutto
    3. Leader of the Opposition of Queensland: David Crisafulli
    4. Leader of the Opposition of Western Australia: Shane Love
    5. Leader of the Opposition of South Australia: Peter Malinauskas
    6. Leader of the Opposition of Tasmania: Rebecca White
    7. Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory: Elizabeth Lee
    8. Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory: Lia Finocchiaro
  33. Members of the Federal Executive Council not under summons
  34. Members of the particular State or Territory legislature, and then Members of State and Territory Legislatures in order of population:
    1. New South Wales Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council
    2. Victorian Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council
    3. Queensland Legislative Assembly
    4. Western Australian Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council
    5. South Australian House of Assembly and Legislative Council
    6. Tasmanian House of Assembly and Legislative Council
    7. Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
    8. Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
  35. The Secretaries of Departments of the Australian Public Service and their peers and the Chiefs of the Air Force, Army, and Navy in order of first appointment to this group:
    1. Chief of Air Force: Air Marshal Robert Chipman
    2. Chief of Army: Lieutenant General Simon Stuart
    3. Chief of Navy: Vice Admiral Mark Hammond
  36. Consuls-General, Consuls and Vice-Consuls according to the date on which recognition was granted
  37. Recipients of Decorations or Honours from the Sovereign, specifically Decorations or Honours which are at or above the Knight Bachelor or above, and precedence being established according to the Australian honours order of wearing, and, where two people hold the same decoration or honour, according to the date on which the award was announced
  38. Citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1913 in Australia.

The following lists events that happened during 1869 in Australia.

The lieutenant-governor of New South Wales is a government position in the state of New South Wales, Australia, acting as a deputy to the governor of New South Wales. The office was first created in October 1786, before the arrival of the First Fleet, to act as a deputy to the first governor, Arthur Phillip. At that time the lieutenant-governor, or its equivalent of "administrator of the government", was filled by military officers and was a position only created when needed or in times of long absences by the governor. Since 1872 this office has been held concurrently by the chief justice of New South Wales but the position may be retained by the chief justice after their retirement from the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire.

The 1892 New Year Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India.

The Honourable or The Honorable is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain people, usually with official governmental or diplomatic positions.

The 1892 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen, and were published in the London Gazette on 24 May 1892 and in The Times on 25 May 1892.

The 1895 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen, and were published in The Times on 25 May 1895 and in The London Gazette on 25 May 1895 and on 11 June 1895.

References

  1. Dr Geoff Gallop, Premier (13 May 2003). "Rear Admiral Sir Richard John Trowbridge Condolence Motion" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Western Australia: Western Australian Legislative Assembly. Part 1: pp. 7514–7514.
  2. Western Australian Government Gazette, 15 August 2014, No. 126, p. 2951. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "GOVERNORS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. p. 4. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  4. Although formally appointed Governor, Pine never actually came to Western Australia to take up his post; the role was filled by an administrator, Lieutenant Colonel John Bruce.
  5. Ord was Lieutenant-Governor from 12 November 1877 to 29 January 1878.
  6. The post of Governor was not filled between 1931 and 1948. Sir John Northmore was administrator until 29 June 1932. He was Lieutenant-Governor until 10 July 1933, and was succeeded as Lieutenant-Governor by Sir James Mitchell until 4 October 1948. Mitchell was appointed Governor from 5 October 1948.
  7. "Lieutenant Governor". Government House Western Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  8. "Commission appointing Stirling Governor and Commander-in-Chief 4 March 1831 (UK)". Documenting a Democracy. National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008. - see also Scan of 1st page of parchment original Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine and Bathurst (1831). "Transcription of Commission appointing Stirling Governor and Commander-in-Chief 4 March 1831 (UK)" (pdf (5 pages)). Founding documents: 110 key documents that are the foundation of our nation. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2008.