Governor-General in Hot Water

Governor-General, David Hurley, has been criticised for using his office for commercial purposes and personal lobbying. The latest incident resulted in an apology even though the G-G claims he received no benefit for appearing in a video endorsing a builder who undertook major renovations at his private residence in Canberra. This is Hurley’s third brush with vice-real protocols this year. It’s almost unheard-of for the Queen’s representative to be acting in this way. First, was a glamour shot of a Federal Executive Council meeting after the election had been called – that was circulated on social media by then MP, Tim Wilson, who was present at the meeting. Hurley also attracted controversy a few months ago when it was publicised that he had lobbied the Prime Minister for funding of the largely non-operational Australian Future Leaders Foundation Ltd resulting in the award of more than $18m from the Commonwealth Government. The firm had allegedly gathered support from business leaders by using its connections. What is eyebrow-raising is the rapid response by now Government Ministers and MPs (all male) to defend the Governor-General’s actions with personal character references. News Corp journalist, Samantha Maiden, however, wrote a piece headed: “Is time up for the under-fire Governor-General after a series of strange comments and gaffes reveal an embarrassing lack of judgement?”