page_title: Governor-General of Australia
section_title: The office of Governor-General as an agency
hierarchical_section_title: Governor-General of Australia / The office of Governor-General as an agency
caption_attribution_description: English: 2006-2009 Holden WM Caprice sedan - Governor-General of Australia vehicle
context_page_description: The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative of the Australian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. As the Queen is concurrently the monarch of 15 other Commonwealth realms, and resides in the United Kingdom, she, on the advice of her Australian prime minister, appoints a governor-general to carry out constitutional duties within the Commonwealth of Australia. The governor-general has formal presidency over the Federal Executive Council and is commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election; and bestowing Australian honours.
  In general, the governor-general observes the conventions of the Westminster system and responsible government, maintaining a political neutrality, and has almost always acted only on the advice of the prime minister or other ministers or, in certain cases, parliament.
context_section_description: The office of Governor-General as an agency of the Commonwealth is regulated by the Governor-General Act 1974. The act provides the Governor-General with a salary (fixed in 2014 at $425,000) and, after leaving office, a lifetime allowance fixed at two-thirds of the salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court.  There is also provision for a surviving spouse or partner.  The Governor-General appoints an Official Secretary, who in turn appoints other staff.
  By convention, the Governor-General and any family occupy an official residence in Canberra, Government House (commonly referred to as Yarralumla).
  The Governor-General travels in a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine for ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. However, Governors-General more commonly use Australian-built luxury cars when on official business.
  The official cars of the Governor-General fly the Flag of the Governor-General of Australia and display St. Edward's Crown instead of number plates. A similar arrangement is used for the governors of the six states. When the Queen is in Australia, the Queen's Personal Australian Flag is flown on the car in which she is travelling. During the Queen's 2011 visit to Australia, she and the Duke of Edinburgh were driven in a Range Rover Vogue.
caption: Governor-General's Holden WM Caprice with St. Edward's Crown on the number plate
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