Australia to get first female G-G

[Lusankya]

Ceremonial Robes.

April 13, 2008, 9:30AM
Woman makes history as Australia governor general
Quentin Bryce appointed to represent British monarch



CANBERRA, Australia — A woman has been appointed for the first time to what is officially Australia's highest office: governor general, the British monarch's representative in the country.

Former sex discrimination commissioner and academic Quentin Bryce will take up the post in September after the incumbent's term expires, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Sunday.

Maj. Gen. Michael Jeffery now holds the position.

The governor general — a fixture of Australia's federal government since it began in 1901 — fulfills a mainly ceremonial role, with ruling power held by Parliament. The role carries formal titles, however, including commander in chief of the military.

The British monarch appoints the governor general, though by convention the prime minister picks the sole candidate.

When Bryce takes up the role, it will be the first time the monarch — for the past 56 years Queen Elizabeth II — has been represented in Australia by a woman.

"It's taken us 107 years. It's been a while," Rudd told reporters in the capital, Canberra. "It's good that it's happened."

Australia is a constitutional monarchy and, like many former British colonies, retains close ties to the English royals. It is not the first Commonwealth country to appoint a woman as governor general, with New Zealand and Canada among nations that have done so before.

Bryce, 65, is from Rudd's home state of Queensland, where in 1965 she became one of the first women admitted to the legal bar in that state. She went on to become a law lecturer and later a senior bureaucrat in state and federal women's rights, child care and anti-discrimination offices.

"What this day says to Australian women and to Australian girls is that you can do anything, you can be anything, and it makes my heart sing to see women in so many diverse roles across our country," she said.

Bryce has been appointed to a five-year term.

Rudd, who met Queen Elizabeth this month in London, is a supporter of a movement to make Australia a republic and to cut its last ties to the British monarchy. He would not comment Sunday, however, on whether Australia's first female governor general could be its last.

Good ol' Kev.

[weemadando]

It's one of the few things that he's done so far that I agree with...

Want to say so much more - but NDAs would mean I get federally raped. Lets just say - every Australian here had better be watching the 7:30 Report for budget night.

Back on topic though - she seems like a good choice, and its certainly better than Kim goddamn Beazeley.

[thejester]

Aren't we supposed to be voting the position out of existence anyway?

[mr friendly guy]

I thought Rudd wasn't planning to put the Republic issue to the vote (discussing it is another matter of course) until next election. Until then I suppose someone needs to be the G-G.

[Havok]

So wait. You have a Prime Minister, a Parliment and a Governor General that controls the military?

[mr friendly guy]

Er no.

The G-G formally signs bills passed by parliament making them into law. They could theoretically refuse and plunge the country into crisis, but I don't think thats ever happen.

They do have the power to sack the Prime minister and bring down his government, but that has only happened once in our history.

[weemadando]

The G-G is the "Queen's Man", well now woman, in Australia. They are pretty much a rubber-stamp and the official head of Gov't in Australia now.

[Stuart Mackey]

The G-G is the "Queen's Man", well now woman, in Australia. They are pretty much a rubber-stamp and the official head of Gov't in Australia now.

No no, PM's the head of Govt.

Oh, I do beleive this event calls for me to say 'It took you this long? Primitives'

[weemadando]

Head of State is the word I wanted.

Eh.

[Stuart Mackey]

Head of State is the word I wanted.

Eh.

Good boy. I now reccomend Bagehot.

[Chris OFarrell]

Head of State is the word I wanted.

Eh.

Good boy. I now reccomend Bagehot.

Shut up before we send Russell Crow back.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

It's time for some intra-Commonwealth dick-waving.

Our Governor General is a black woman immigrant from Haiti.

Beat that, Oz.

[tim31]

Canada's penis waving is intolerable. We must strike first, prepare the long range brown snake missiles and load funnel web spider canisters onto our bombers.

And I'm hanging out for Ando's statement to be de-mystified

[Imperial Overlord]

Canada's penis waving is intolerable. We must strike first, prepare the long range brown snake missiles and load funnel web spider canisters onto our bombers.

And I'm hanging out for Ando's statement to be de-mystified

You might want to bomb a country with, I don't know, say a climate those critters can survive in? Why don't you start with Texas?

[Phantasee]

It's time for some intra-Commonwealth dick-waving.

Our Governor General is a black woman immigrant from Haiti.

Beat that, Oz.

Hoo-rah! And Alberta, supposedly the most conservative province in the Dominion, had a wonderful woman as Lt. Governor (Lois Hole, bless her soul).

[tim31]

Canada's penis waving is intolerable. We must strike first, prepare the long range brown snake missiles and load funnel web spider canisters onto our bombers.

And I'm hanging out for Ando's statement to be de-mystified

You might want to bomb a country with, I don't know, say a climate those critters can survive in? Why don't you start with Texas?

All our biological weapons systems are outfitted with cold-weather gear for such operations.

[weemadando]

Canada's penis waving is intolerable. We must strike first, prepare the long range brown snake missiles and load funnel web spider canisters onto our bombers.

And I'm hanging out for Ando's statement to be de-mystified :?

You might want to bomb a country with, I don't know, say a climate those critters can survive in? Why don't you start with Texas?

All our biological weapons systems are outfitted with cold-weather gear for such operations.

Does he seriously thing that 6' of snow is going to stop a funnel web? It just is an easier medium for them to tunnel through...

[Academia Nut]

No, we expect the whole 'die due to lack of proper thermoregulation' to stop them.

And since you already have decent beer, we will save our stocks of Molson missiles for the Americans and instead the retaliatory strike will consist of warheads loaded up with high grade BC bud followed up by air dropping angered moose on you. We're clever like that, make sure to neutralize any hostile fauna (snakes, spiders, boguns, etc) before deploying ground troops.

[weemadando]

Yeah, sure, whatever. Thermoregulation. Your funeral.

We'll just dispatch the alpine acclimatised ones (the ones that live in the goddamn ski fields).