Governor of Victoria

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Standard of the Governor of Victoria

The Governor of Victoria represents the head of state, Elizabeth II in the Australian state of Victoria. The Governor performs the same tasks at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia at the national level. The Governor's office and official residence is Government House in central Melbourne.

The current Governor of Victoria is a former judge, Linda Dessau.

Powers[change | change source]

In a Westminster system of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Victoria. However, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.[1]

Related offices[change | change source]

There is also a Lieutenant-Governor and an Administrator. The Chief Justice of Victoria is the Administrator, unless he or she is the Lieutenant-Governor, in which case, the next most senior judge is the Administrator. The Lieutenant-Governor takes on the job of the Governor when that post is vacant, when the Governor is out of the State, or is unable to act. The Administrator takes on those duties if both the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor are unable to act.

Australian-born governors[change | change source]

The first Australian (and Victorian) born Governor of Victoria was Sir Henry Winneke (appointed 1974). Apart from Dr Davis McCaughey (b. Ireland), Professor David de Kretser (b. Ceylon) and Alex Chernov (b. Lithuania), all governors since 1974 have been born in Australia.

List of governors of Victoria[change | change source]

Standard of the Governor of Victoria (1903–1984). Before 1953, a Tudor Crown was used

Lieutenant-governors[change | change source]

Before 1855, the Governor-General of New South Wales appointed Lieutenant-Governors to Victoria.[2]

No. Image Lieutenant-Governor From To
1 Captain Charles La Trobe 1851 1854
2 Captain Sir Charles Hotham KCB RN 1854 1855

Governors[change | change source]

No. Image Governor From To
1 Captain Sir Charles Hotham KCB RN 22 May 1855 31 December 1855
2 Sir Henry Barkly GCMG KCB FRS FRGS 26 December 1856 10 September 1863
3 Sir Charles Darling KCB 11 September 1863 7 May 1866
4 The Rt Hon. Viscount Canterbury GCMG KCB 15 August 1866 2 March 1873
5 The Rt Hon. Sir George Bowen GCMG 30 July 1873 22 February 1879
6 The Most Hon. Marquess of Normanby GCB GCMG PC 29 April 1879 18 April 1884
7 The Rt Hon. Lord Loch GCMG KCB 15 July 1884 15 November 1889
8 The Most Hon. Earl of Hopetoun KT GCMG GCVO PC 28 November 1889 12 July 1895
9 The Rt Hon. Earl Brassey GCB JP DL TD 25 October 1895 31 March 1900
10 The Rt Hon. Baron Sydenham of Combe GCSI GCIE GCMG GBE 10 December 1901 24 November 1903
11 The Hon. Major-General Sir Reginald Talbot KCB 25 April 1904 6 July 1908
12 The Rt Hon. Lord Carmichael GCSI GCIE KCMG DL 27 July 1908 19 May 1911
13 The Rt Hon. Sir John Fuller Bt KCMG 24 May 1911 24 November 1913
14 The Rt Hon. Lord Sheffield KCMG 23 February 1914 30 January 1920
15 The Rt Hon. Earl of Stradbroke KCMG CB CVO CBE VD TD 24 February 1921 7 April 1926
16 The Rt Hon. Lord Somers KCMG DSO MC 28 June 1926 23 June 1931
17 The Rt Hon. Lord Huntingfield KCMG 14 May 1934 4 April 1939
18 The Rt Hon. Major General The Lord Dugan GCMG CB DSO 17 July 1939 20 February 1949
19 General Sir Reginald Dallas Brooks GCMG KCB KCVO DSO 18 October 1949 7 May 1963
20 Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe KCMG KBE CB DSO 8 May 1963 31 May 1974
21 The Hon. Sir Henry Winneke AC KCMG KCVO OBE QC 1 June 1974 28 February 1982
22 Rear Admiral Sir Brian Murray KCMG AO 1 March 1982 3 October 1985
23 The Reverend Dr Davis McCaughey AC 18 February 1986 22 April 1992
24 The Hon. Richard McGarvie AC QC 23 April 1992 23 April 1997
25 The Hon. Sir James Gobbo AC CVO QC 24 April 1997 31 December 2000
26 Mr. John Landy AC CVO MBE 1 January 2001 7 April 2006
27 Professor David de Kretser AC 7 April 2006 7 April 2011
28 The Hon. Alex Chernov AC QC 8 April 2011 Present

References[change | change source]

  1. Constitution of Victoria (1975), Part 1.
  2. Twomey, Anne (2006). The chameleon Crown: The Queen and her Australian governors. Sydney: The Federation Press. ISBN 978-1-86287-629-3. Archived from the original on 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2012-05-26.

Other websites[change | change source]