Next Governor-General Appointment

Again, WfaAR can only say: “hopefully the last” to the fourth GG appointment since the 1999 referendum – Hollingworth, Jeffrey, Bryce and now Cosgrove until 2019. We detected another sigh of relief as the ordained order of things in the political class was further reset to normal with the naming of a man well connected to the establishment and business (see News Update of 17 December 2013). The Canberra Times described him as having “an air of authority” in a veiled reference to his immediate predecessor who was female. Apart from his military career, Cosgrove’s claim to the job was apparently enhanced by his keen interest in ……sport! Undoubtedly “the Prime Minister’s pick”, we could not discern that anyone else had been consulted about the choice nor did journalists bother to inquire about this at the joint press conference where the GG designate appeared with the PM to answer questions. We did note a lot of flim-flam in government statements and the media about the importance of and leadership inherent in this largely invisible, ceremonial role as the onshore representative of the Queen of Australia. WfaAR notes that Cosgrove is reputed to be a monarchist. No doubt the strength of his conviction was fully tested by the PM before the appointment was announced (see News Update of 22 November 2013).