Governor-general of Australia

The governor-general of Australia is nominated by the sovereign of Australia for a five-year term. He is the direct representative of the British sovereign on the Australian territory.

The current governor-general is David Hurley, who took office in 2019.

The post was created in 1901. The official residence of the governor-general is the Government House in Canberra. The governor-general, the prime minister, and the ministers together form the Federal Executive Council.

The governor-general of Australia can dissolve Parliament, must nominate the ministers, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and controls and organizes parliamentary elections.

The governor-general fixes the dates and the length of the parliamentary sessions.