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The first Governor General was Sir Charles FitzRoy, appointed in 1851 fifty years before the Australian colonies became states and federated. This appointment was in parallel to the Port Philip District and Van Diemen's Land being separated from New South Wales under new constitutions, and their Lieutenant Governors being upgraded to Governor. So the Colonial Office thought it appropriate to appoint an overall local Crown representative for them, South Australia and Western Australia (the Moreton Bay District remained part of New South Wales until separation as Queensland in 1859).

FitzRoy was Governor of New South Wales, but also theoretically had jurisdiction over other colonies, appointed 'Governor-General in and over all our Colonies of New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia'. He didn't actually use his position as Governor General, as he did not have an Advisory Council, and he declined to be an autocrat. It was suggested to him that he use his New South Wales Advisory Council, but he also decided that it would be unfair to the other colonies to take advice from a group which was not aligned to their needs, and could be competing against them, or even actively hostile to their interests. A man of principle! He carried out a couple of ceremonial visits to Victoria and Tasmania - South Australia and Western Australia being too far to justify a visit of no real purpose.

His successor as governor of New South Wales in 1854, Sir William Denison was also appointed as the second Governor General, and similarly declined to do anything on the same grounds. The position lapsed after the colonies were granted representative government in 1855.

The first Governor General of the nation of Australia was John Hope, the Earl of Hopetoun, appointed in July 1900, six months before Federation.

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In 2011, the governor-general of Australia is Quentin Bryce.

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Quentin Bryce

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Q: Who was the first Governor General of Australia?
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Who was the first governor of Australia?

Australia's first governor was Captain Arthur Phillip (1738 - 1814), who arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. He was, in fact, the Governor of the New South Wales colony.


Who was the 1st Australian president?

Australia's first governor was Captain Arthur Phillip (1738 - 1814), who arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. He was, in fact, the Governor of Sydney, New South Wales.


Who was the first British governor of India?

Lord Louis Mountbatten was the first Governor General of independent India after having overseen independence and partition of British India as the last Viceroy. He was followed by Chakeravarthi Rajagopalachari who was the first Governor General of India of Indian origin and the last Governor General as the new constitution in 1950 replaced King George VI as Emperor of India with a President and the office of Governor General thus disappeared.


What happened on January 1 1901?

On 1 January 1901, federation of the Australian colonies was achieved and the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed. Australia's first Governor-General, John Hope, made the proclamation at Centennial Park in Sydney.


Where was Australia founded?

The continent of Australia was founded with the raising of the British flag at Sydney Cove. The first permanent settlement in Australia was founded by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788.When the Commonwealth of Australia was founded, following the federation of the colonies on 1 January 1901, the proclamation was announced by Australia's first Governor-General, John Hope, at Centennial Park in Sydney.

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Was Sir Henry Parkes the first governor-general of Australia?

No. Australia's first Governor General was Sir Charles FitzRoy.


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Quetin Bryce is important to Australia because she is our governor general. Quetin Bryce is the first female governor general in Australia.


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In Australia, the first female Governor-General is Quentin Bryce, who was appointed on 5 September 2008.


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The first female Governor-General of Australia was Quentin Bryce. She held the position from 2008 to 2014 and served as the Queen's representative in Australia. Prior to this, Bryce also served as the Governor of Queensland from 2003 to 2008.


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In 2012, the governor-general of Australia is Quentin Bryce.


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The Governor General is the representative of the Australian government to the Monarch of Britain. The Governor General is appointed by the government of Australia. The role of Governor General was inaugurated in Australia in NSW in 1946 but, after each colony was granted its own Governor, fell into disuse until Federation of the colonies/states in 1901. The first act of the newly appointed Governor General, John Hope, was to officially appoint the inaugural Prime Minister, Edmund Barton. On 5 Sep 2008, Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia's Governor General, the first woman to serve as Queen Elizabeth's representative in Australia.


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In 2014, Australia's Governor General is Peter Cosgrove.His Excellency was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Honourable Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister, and sworn in on 28 March 2014.Recent information about the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is found in the links below.


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The Governor-general of Australia is recommended by the Prime Minister, and officially appointed by the Queen.


What is the role of Governor General within the federal government?

Which governor-general? The governor-general of Canada is in a different position than the governor-general of Australia.


Who is the Governor General of NSW?

The Governor-General has this position throughout Australia. Currently (2009), Australia's Governor-General is Quentin Bryce. However, the current Governor of New South Wales (not Governor-General) is Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO.