List of female state governors in Australia

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This is a list of women who served as governors of states and territories of Australia.

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As of January 2020, ten women have served or are serving as the governor of an Australian state. The governors are the representatives of Australia's monarch in each of Australia's six states. The governors are the nominal chief executives of the states, performing the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national or federal level. The state governors are not subject to the constitutional authority of the governor-general, but are directly responsible to the monarch.

Two women have served as Administrator of the Northern Territory, an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory who performs functions similar to those of a state governor. However, the Administrator is not the direct representative of the Monarch in the Territory as territories are not sovereign in the same way as states.

The first female governor in Australia was Dame Roma Mitchell in South Australia in 1991. To date, Australia has had one female Governor-general, Dame Quentin Bryce, who previously served as Governor of Queensland.

Since 1 November 2021, excluding the Governor of Western Australia, the remaining 5 state governors and the Administrator of the Northern Territory are all female, which is unprecedented in the Australian history.

List of female state governors

   Incumbent
PortraitNameStateTerm startTerm endDurationReference
Roma Mitchell 1965.jpg The Honourable Dame Roma Mitchell AC , DBE , CVO , QC 31st Governor of South Australia 6 February 199121 July 19965 years, 166 days [1]
Leneen Forde, Governor of Queensland, with Premier Wayne Goss and cabinet ministers of the 3rd Goss Ministry, 52nd Parliament, Governor's Residence Fernberg, Brisbane, 31 July 1995 (cropped).jpg The Honourable Leneen Forde AC 22nd Governor of Queensland 29 July 199229 July 19975 years, 0 days [2]
Marie-bashir-in-wahroonga-2008 Crop.jpg Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD , CVO 37th Governor of New South Wales 1 March 20011 October 201413 years, 214 days [3]
Marjorie Jackson.jpg The Honourable Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC, CVO, MBE 33rd Governor of South Australia3 November 200131 July 20075 years, 270 days [4]
Quentin Bryce No.1 (cropped).jpg The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD , CVO 24th Governor of Queensland29 July 200329 July 20085 years, 0 days [5]
Penny Wensley (1).jpg The Honourable Penelope Wensley AC 25th Governor of Queensland29 July 200829 July 20146 years, 0 days [6]
Sally Thomas 2014.jpg The Honourable Sally Thomas AC 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory 1 October 201110 November 20143 years, 40 days [7]
Kerry Sanderson Governor of Western Australia crop.jpg The Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC CVO 32nd Governor of Western Australia 20 October 20141 May 20183 years, 193 days [8]
Memorial-unveilings-Burnie-20150331-005-crop.jpg Professor The Honourable Kate Warner AC 29th Governor of Tasmania 10 December 20149 June 20216 years, 181 days [9]
Linda Dessau.jpg Her Excellency The Honourable Linda Dessau AC 29th Governor of Victoria 1 July 2015Incumbent7 years, 293 days [10]
Vicki O'Halloran 2019.jpg Her Honour The Honourable Vicki O'Halloran AO 20th Administrator of the Northern Territory1 October 2017Incumbent5 years, 201 days [11]
Margaret Beazley 2018.jpg Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC , QC 39th Governor of New South Wales2 May 2019Incumbent3 years, 353 days [12]
No image.svg Her Excellency The Honourable Barbara Baker AC 30th Governor of Tasmania 16 June 2021Incumbent1 year, 308 days
Frances Adamson (1).jpg Her Excellency The Honourable Frances Adamson AC 36th Governor of South Australia 7 October 2021Incumbent1 year, 195 days
Jeannette Young, Chief Health Officer, Queensland Government, 2020 (cropped) 2.jpg Her Excellency The Honourable Jeannette Young PSM 27th Governor of Queensland 1 November 2021Incumbent1 year, 170 days

See also

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The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the Australian states perform constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level. The governor is appointed by the king on the advice of the premier of New South Wales, and serves in office for an unfixed period of time—known as serving At His Majesty's pleasure—though five years is the general standard of office term. The current governor is retired jurist Margaret Beazley, who succeeded David Hurley on 2 May 2019.

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The following is the Australian Table of Precedence.

  1. The King of Australia: His Majesty King Charles III
  2. The Governor-General of Australia: His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC, DSC, FTSE
  3. Governors of states in order of appointment:
    1. Governor of Victoria Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, CVO
    2. Governor of New South Wales Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC, KC
    3. Governor of Tasmania Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC
    4. Governor of South Australia Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC
    5. Governor of Queensland Her Excellency the Honourable Jeannette Young AC, PSM
    6. Governor of Western Australia His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC, APM
  4. The Prime Minister: The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP
  5. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in order of election:
    1. President of the Senate Senator The Honourable Sue Lines
    2. Speaker of the House of Representatives The Honourable Milton Dick MP
  6. The Chief Justice of Australia: The Honourable Chief Justice Susan Kiefel AC
  7. 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 and Acting High Commissioners in order of date of assumption of duties
  8. Members of the Federal Executive Council:
    1. Ministry List
  9. Administrators of Territories in order of appointment:
    1. Administrator of Norfolk Island
    2. Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories
    3. Administrator of the Northern Territory
  10. The Leader of the Opposition: The Honourable Peter Dutton MP
  11. Former holders of high offices:
    1. Former Governors-General in order of leaving office:
      1. The Hon Bill Hayden AC (1989–1996)
      2. The Hon Sir William Deane AC KBE KC (1996–2001)
      3. The Rt. Rev and Hon Dr Peter Hollingworth AC OBE (2001–2003)
      4. The Hon Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO (2008–2014)
      5. General the Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO MC (2014–2019)
    2. Former Prime Ministers in order of leaving office:
      1. The Hon Paul Keating (1991–1996)
      2. The Hon John Howard OM AC SSI (1996–2007)
      3. The Hon Kevin Rudd AC
      4. The Hon Julia Gillard AC (2010–2013)
      5. The Hon Tony Abbott AC (2013–2015)
      6. The Hon Malcolm Turnbull AC (2015–2018)
      7. The Hon Scott Morrison (2018–2022)
    3. Former Chief Justices in order of leaving office:
      1. The Hon Sir Anthony Mason AC KBE GBM KC (1987–1995)
      2. The Hon Murray Gleeson AC GBS KC (1998–2008)
      3. The Hon Robert French AC (2008–2017)
  12. 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
    2. Premier of Victoria
    3. Premier of Queensland
    4. Premier of Western Australia
    5. Premier of South Australia
    6. Premier of Tasmania
    7. Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
    8. Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
  13. Justices of the High Court in order of appointment:
    1. The Hon Stephen Gageler AC
    2. The Hon Michelle Gordon AC
    3. The Hon James Edelman
    4. The Hon Simon Steward
    5. The Hon Jacqueline Sarah Gleeson
    6. The Hon Jayne Jagot
  14. Senior judges:
    1. Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia
    2. President of the Fair Work Commission
  15. Chief Justices of States in order of appointment:
    1. Chief Justice of New South Wales
    2. Chief Justice of South Australia
    3. Chief Justice of Tasmania
    4. Chief Justice of Victoria
    5. Chief Justice of Western Australia
    6. Chief Justice of Queensland
  1. Australian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in order of appointment:
    1. The Rt Hon Ian Sinclair
    2. The Rt Hon Sir William Heseltine
  2. The Chief of the Defence Force
  3. Chief Judges of Federal and Territory Courts in order of appointment
    1. Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory
    2. Chief Justice of the Northern Territory
    3. Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia
  4. Members of Parliament
  5. Judges of the Federal Court of Australia and Family Court of Australia, and Deputy presidents of the Fair Work Commission in order of appointment
  6. Lord Mayors of capital cities in order of city populations:
    1. Lord Mayor of Sydney
    2. Lord Mayor of Melbourne
    3. Lord Mayor of Brisbane
    4. Lord Mayor of Perth
    5. Lord Mayor of Adelaide
    6. Lord Mayor of Hobart
    7. Lord Mayor of Darwin
  7. Heads of religious communities according to the date of assuming office in Australia
  8. Presiding officers of State Legislatures in order of appointment, then Presiding Officer of Territory Legislatures in order of appointment:
    1. Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
    2. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
    3. President of the Victorian Legislative Council
    4. Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
    5. President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council
    6. President of the South Australian Legislative Council
    7. Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
    8. President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
    9. President of the Western Australian Legislative Council
    10. Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
    11. Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly
    12. Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
    13. Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
  9. Members of State Executive Councils in order of state populations, 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. Executive Council of the Northern Territory
  10. 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
    2. Leader of the Opposition of Victoria
    3. Leader of the Opposition of Queensland
    4. Leader of the Opposition of Western Australia
    5. Leader of the Opposition of South Australia
    6. Leader of the Opposition of Tasmania
    7. Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory
    8. Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory
  11. Judges of State and Territory Supreme Courts in order of appointment:
    1. Supreme Court of New South Wales
    2. Supreme Court of Victoria
    3. Supreme Court of Queensland
    4. Supreme Court of Western Australia
    5. Supreme Court of South Australia
    6. Supreme Court of Tasmania
    7. Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
  12. 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
  13. The Secretaries of Departments of the Australian Public Service and their peers and the Chiefs of the Air Force, Army, and Navy and Vice Chief of the Defence Force in order of first appointment to this group:
    1. Vice Chief of the Defence Force
    2. Chief of Army
    3. Chief of Air Force
    4. Chief of Navy
  14. Consuls-General, Consuls and Vice-Consuls according to the date on which recognition was granted
  15. Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
  16. Recipients of Decorations or Honours from the Sovereign
  17. Citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
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The following lists events that happened during 2013 in Australia.

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The following is a list of events including expected and scheduled events for the year 2023 in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ "Dame Roma Mitchell: Australian Biography". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "Her Excellency" (transcript). Australian Story. Australia: ABC TV. 26 July 1997. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "General Hurley named as NSW Governor". Sky News. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Jackson-Nelson, Marjorie". The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Bryce, Quentin". The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Honourable Dr Penelope Wensley AC". The University of Queensland. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "Her Honour the Honorable Sally Thomas AC". Charles Darwin University. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Kerry Sanderson AO named WA's first female governor". WA Today. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Gutwein, Peter (24 June 2020). "Governor of Tasmania's term extended". www.premier.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Stephanie (1 July 2015). "Victoria's first female governor, Linda Dessau, sworn in at Government House". ABC News. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Vicki O'Halloran appointed new Northern Territory Administrator". NT News. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  12. ↑ Sas, Nick (13 January 2019). "New NSW Governor Margaret Beazley fights back tears as she accepts role". ABC News . Australia. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
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