Governor-General

The governor-general is the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Australia. Functioning as the Queen’s presence in the state, Australia’s governor-general executes and maintains executive power at the behest of the Queen for a time determinable by the Queen herself, but is usually set to around five years. Thus, in effect, the governor general functions as de facto head of state. The governor-general is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the prime minister of Australia. The offices and permanent residences for the governor-general are either in the Government House Canberra in Yarralumla (the principal residence) or the Admiralty House Sydney in Kirribilli.