Governor-General

First Female Governor-General Faces Discrimination

Chair — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:03:53 +1200

The Times reports the Queen's representative in Australia, Quentin Bryce, has been shunned by elite men's clubs in Sydney and Melbourne, despite their own tradition of offering honorary membership to those in "high office".

I wonder if the same clubs would bar the Sovereign on the basis of Her Majesty's gender?

Governor-General "a political appointee & puppet"

Chair — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:55:14 +1200

At Business Day's Stirring the Pot, Bruce Sheppard describes the Governor-General as "a political appointee & puppet". He's correct on that count:

...the Governor General who is the conscious of the nation, the protector of the constitution etc, is only appointed upon the recommendation of government. And once appointed it is this person who appoints the Government.
This is a virtuous circle which concentrates all power in the Prime Minister from time to time. I have often referred to Helen Clark as Aunty Helen due to her propensity to meddle in the functioning of our lives, but perhaps a better description is Queen Helen.

The Prime Minister versus the Governor-General

Chair — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:02:06 +1200

The Melbourne Age has extracts from former Australian Treasurer Peter Costello's memoirs. The provide an intriguing insight into the office of Governor-General and the Prime Minister's office:

Mr Costello has also revealed that Howard downgraded the role of the governor-general while he was prime minister, former federal treasurer Peter Costello writes in his memoirs.
Mr Costello confirms that when Mr Howard came to power in 1996 "there was some tension" between Mr Howard and incumbent governor-general Sir William Dean.

Sir William Dean was the Paul Keating (i.e. Labor) appointed Governor-General. He clashed with the Howard government on social policy - although Mr Howard and his government usually ignored his comments. Interestingly, Sir William was a judge and not a politician.

Governor-General off to India

Chair — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:51:54 +1200

TV3 News reports the Governor-General, Anand Satyanand, is off to India to represent New Zealand.

Reality is certainly stranger than fiction: the Gov-Gen's trip means that a New Zealander, whose parents were Fijian-born Indians, is off to the former British Raj (where no Indian was ever Governor-General - the last was Lord Louis Mountbatten) to represent the monarchy the Indians got rid of back in 1950. Of course, as we know, the Governor-General's roll is less these days about representing the monarchy, and more about being a virtual head of State.

Update: The above statement is incorrect - there was in fact an Indian Governor-General after Mountbatten.

An Offer the GG Can't refuse

Chair — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:57:43 +1200

Canada's Globe and Mail has an accurate account of the Governor General's ability to refuse the Prime Minister's advice to dissolve parliament and drop the writ for an election:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apparent plan to call a general election this coming week, in defiance of the government's own legislation fixing October, 2009, as the date of the next federal election, has triggered a good deal of controversy this past week.

"Appeal likely to fail says law expert"

Chair — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:10:15 +1200

The Southland Times follows up on an article on Queenstown businessman Basil Walker's request for the Governor-General to refuse assent to the Emissions Trading Bill. It turns out that Canterbury University senior law lecturer Dr John Hopkins has repeated the view expressed here that the Governor-General has few powers to intervene in the normal legislative process.

The Governor-General's office has also declined to comment on Mr Walker's allegations.

Another monarchial fiction: Royal assent

Chair — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:29:57 +1200

The Southland Times reports businessman Basil Walker has written to the Governor-General asking that he "step in to stop" the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme legislation currently being considered by Parliament. Whether or not you are opposed to the legislation, the simple fact is that Mr Walker is wasting his time writing to the Governor-General.

This example shows once again we see the belief that the Governor-General can refuse the Royal Assent to Bills of Parliament, or just fire a Government. A letter to the editor is pending.

Cabinet Manual states reality

Chair — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:06:12 +1200

The recently updated Cabinet Manual 2008 contains an interesting statement:

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, the Governor-General undertakes a programme of international travel, representing New Zealand in the head of state role. In New Zealand, the Governor-General welcomes visiting heads of state and receives the credentials of foreign diplomats.

(My emphasis). This contrasts with section 2(1) of the Constitution Act 1986, which declares "The Sovereign in right of New Zealand is the head of State of New Zealand". Confused? You should be. Imagine how our diplomats feel when they have to explain this situation when the Governor-General visits overseas.

Inside NZ's biggest leaky home project

Chair — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:05:36 +1200

The Dominion Post has another intriguing article on the Government House rennovations.

Should the Governor-General pay tax?

Chair — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:53:57 +1200

The Law Commission has released a review on the Civil List Act 1979 (1.3Mb). This Act defines what the Governor-General, Prime Minister and MPs are paid while in office, when they get paid, and entitlements once they leave office. Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer states:

"Despite its relatively obscure status, the Civil List Act 1979 contains important provisions that should be both accessible and comprehensible. The proposals on which we seek comment are intended to clarify the legislative framework, and to improve transparency."

On the Governor-General's office, the Review asks three key questions: