Damon Mcknight
Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a head of state, currently King Charles III. While the King does not have a role in the day-to-day running of Australia, he is represented by a resident Governor-General, who is appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Governor-General has certain powers, such as giving Royal Assent to laws passed by the Australian Parliament and starting the process for a federal election, which are usually exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister and ministers. The Governor-General also makes proclamations to which the Great Seal of Australia is affixed for authentication. While the Queen previously held the role of Australia's monarch, the current King has held this position since 8 September 2022, and his duties include governing the people of Australia according to their respective laws and customs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current monarch | King Charles III |
| Monarch's role | Head of state, head of parliament |
| Monarch's involvement in day-to-day running of Australia | None |
| Monarch's representative in Australia | Governor-General |
| Governor-General's role | Appointing the Prime Minister, giving Royal Assent to laws passed by the Australian Parliament, starting the process for a federal election |
| Governor-General's appointment | By the monarch, on the advice of the Prime Minister |
| States' monarch representative | Governor, assisted by a Lieutenant-Governor |
| Governor's appointment | On the advice of the respective premiers |
| Sovereign's name, image and royal symbols | Visible in emblems and insignia of governmental institutions and militia |
| Oath of allegiance | Required from politicians, judges, military members and new citizens |
| Expenses for royal visits | Paid for by the Australian government |
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What You'll Learn
The Queen's role in Australia's system of government
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, and its head of state is the King. However, the King does not have a role in the day-to-day running of the country. The monarch is represented at the federal level by the governor-general, who is appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. The governor-general is responsible for appointing the Prime Minister and has other powers, such as giving Royal Assent to laws passed by the Australian Parliament and starting the process for a federal election. These powers are usually exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister and ministers.
The governor-general is also the monarch's representative in the Australian Defence Force, though in practice, they do not play a part in the Defence Force's command structure. The governor-general's role also includes making proclamations to which the Great Seal of Australia is affixed for authentication. They may also reserve a bill for the King's pleasure, withholding consent and presenting it to the sovereign for their personal decision.
In each Australian state, the monarch is represented by a governor, who is assisted by a lieutenant-governor, generally the Chief Justice of the state's supreme court. The governor-general and state governors are the only mandatory constitutional functions of the monarch of Australia.
The current monarch, King Charles III, ascended to the throne on 8 September 2022. At his coronation, he swore an oath to govern the people of Australia, among other nations, according to their respective laws and customs. This oath is a solemn commitment between the sovereign and the people. Federal politicians, lawyers, judges, soldiers, and new citizens are required to swear allegiance to the King.
The Australian Constitution does not mention the term 'head of state', and there is some debate around who holds this position. While the Parliament of Australia website states that the head of state is the monarch, the governor-general's website states that the office holder is, in practice, Australia's head of state.
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The Governor-General's role in the Australian Defence Force
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the King as its head of state. However, the King does not have a role in the day-to-day running of the country. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia and is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Governor-General has a largely ceremonial and symbolic role, which includes visiting military units, presenting them with colours, banners, and other honours, and commemorating Australia's war dead and military actions in ceremonies throughout the year.
The Governor-General is the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force and has specific duties and powers relating to this role. These include the power to appoint the Chief of the Defence Force and terminate that appointment, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Governor-General also has the power to declare war and, in a time of war, to issue a proclamation to conscript people to serve in the ADF.
In times of peace, the Governor-General's defence role is mostly symbolic, but they could exercise defence powers on ministerial advice. The Governor-General is obliged by convention and sometimes by statute to act on the advice of ministers, either through the Federal Executive Council or through direct advice from the Defence Minister or Prime Minister.
While the Governor-General is the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force, they do not play a part in the Australian Defence Force's command structure beyond following the advice of the Minister for Defence in the normal form of executive government.
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The Australian Constitution and the monarchy
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with its head of state being the King, Charles III. The Australian Constitution, however, does not explicitly mention the term "head of state". While the Parliament of Australia website identifies the monarch as the head of state, the governor-general's website states that the office holder assumes this role in practice.
The governor-general is the King's representative in Australia and is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. The governor-general acts on behalf of the King and has certain powers delegated to them by the Australian Constitution, such as giving Royal Assent to laws passed by the Australian Parliament and initiating the process for a federal election. In reality, these powers are typically exercised based on the recommendations of the Prime Minister and ministers. Additionally, the governor-general has a ceremonial role in the Australian Defence Force's command structure, following the advice of the Minister for Defence.
The monarch also appoints state governors on the advice of the respective state premiers. These appointments, along with the appointment of the governor-general, constitute the monarch's only mandatory constitutional functions in Australia. The governor-general and state governors are responsible for representing the monarch at the federal and state levels, respectively.
While the monarch does not reside in Australia, their position as sovereign is established through the coronation oath, which serves as a pact between the sovereign and the people. The current monarch, King Charles III, ascended the throne on September 8, 2022, and swore to govern the people of Australia, among other nations, according to their respective laws and customs.
The Australian monarchy has been a distinct office since the 1940s, acting exclusively on the advice of Australian state and federal ministers. Australia is one of the Commonwealth realms, sharing the same monarch as the head of state with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations.
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The coronation oath and the Queen's title
The coronation of the British monarch is an initiation ceremony in which the sovereign is formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. The earliest form of the coronation oath can be traced back to the ceremony devised by Saint Dunstan for King Edgar's coronation in 973 AD at Bath Abbey. The general framework of the coronation service is based on the sections contained in the Second Recension used in 973 for King Edgar. The sequence of taking an oath, anointing, investing of regalia, crowning and enthronement found in the Anglo-Saxon text has remained constant.
The Coronation Oath Act 1688 requires the sovereign to take an oath in the prescribed form. The Act has never been expressly amended, but various constitutional statutes have made amendments by implication. The oaths taken by Queen Elizabeth II and her late father, King George VI, omitted elements that were never removed from the form of the oath by any legislation. Thus, the legality of the oaths taken is questionable.
The oath taken by King George VI in 1911 was changed from that of his father, King George V, to include countries such as Australia. This was because the old oath "did not indicate the existing constitutional position of the British Commonwealth, following the 1926 declaration of equality of status, and the subsequent passing of the Statute of Westminster". The oath was drafted following an agreement by the members of the 'British Commonwealth of Nations'.
The coronation oath is a solemn and binding commitment that establishes a pact between the sovereign and the people. The late Queen Elizabeth II always held that the oath she took at her coronation in 1953 was binding upon her for life. King Charles III is also expected to hold this view. At the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, the Archbishop of Canterbury asked of him:
> Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples … according to their respective laws and customs?
> Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?
To which he responded:
> I solemnly promise so to do
> I will
This marked the end of his life as a normal person and the commencement of his duties as King of fifteen separate countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia.
The title of the Queen in Australia under the Australian Act was declared to be "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Australia and her other Realms and Territories Queen". The Australian Act eliminated the reference to the United Kingdom and the title 'Defender of the Faith', reflecting Australia's constitutional position as a secular nation. The title of the monarch is now "King of Australia", which automatically passes to the next sovereign.
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The Queen's visits to Australia
Queen Elizabeth II first visited Australia in 1954, becoming the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil. She made 16 visits over 57 years, with her last visit in 2011.
On 3 February 1954, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Australia as part of their royal tour of the Commonwealth. In just 58 days, they visited every state and territory, including all seven capital cities and 70 towns. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and included a gruelling schedule of visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory. During the tour, the Queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women, drove in cavalcades, attended numerous civic receptions, and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. It is estimated that up to 75% of the population saw the Queen and Prince Philip during this tour.
The Queen's subsequent visits to Australia included motorcades, tram rides, two Commonwealth Games, and horse racing. During the 1970 visit, the Queen witnessed the reenactment of Captain James Cook's arrival at Botany Bay. By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. That year, the Queen officially opened the Sydney Opera House complex. The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia's ties to Britain.
The cost of the Queen's visits to Australia was increasingly scrutinised by a public that was largely indifferent to the royal family. The Queen's role as Australia's sovereign transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing documents that contributed to the cutting of Australia's ties to the UK and the Crown.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, and its head of state is the King. However, the King does not have a role in the day-to-day running of the country.
The current King of Australia is King Charles III, who has reigned since 8 September 2022.
The King appoints the Governor-General, who is the King's representative in Australia. The Governor-General has certain powers, such as giving Royal Assent to laws passed by the Australian Parliament and starting the process for a federal election.
Australia does not fund the King or the wider royal family for any activities taken outside of Australia. However, the Australian government does pay a salary to the Governor-General and for the upkeep of the official vice-regal residences in the country.
The person who is the monarch of the United Kingdom is also the monarch of Australia. The British monarch is recognised as the head of state for Queensland and South Australia.
