Governor of Victoria

The Governor of Victoria represents the head of state, Charles III in the Australian state of Victoria. The Governor performs the same tasks at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia at the national level. The Governor's office and official residence is Government House in central Melbourne.

The current Governor of Victoria is Margaret Gardner.

Powers
In a Westminster system of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Victoria. However, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.Constitution of Victoria (1975), Part 1.

Related offices
There is also a Lieutenant-Governor and an Administrator. The Chief Justice of Victoria is the Administrator, unless he or she is the Lieutenant-Governor, in which case, the next most senior judge is the Administrator. The Lieutenant-Governor takes on the job of the Governor when that post is vacant, when the Governor is out of the State, or is unable to act. The Administrator takes on those duties if both the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor are unable to act. 

Australian-born governors
The first Australian (and Victorian) born Governor of Victoria was Sir Henry Winneke (appointed 1974). Apart from Dr Davis McCaughey (b. Ireland), Professor David de Kretser (born in Ceylon) and Alex Chernov (born in Lithuania), all governors since 1974 have been born in Australia.

List of governors of Victoria

Lieutenant-governors
Before 1855, the Governor-General of New South Wales appointed Lieutenant-Governors to Victoria.

 No. Image Lieutenant-Governor From To 1 80px Captain Charles La Trobe 1851 1854 2 80px Captain Sir Charles Hotham KCB RN 1854 1855

Governors
 No. Image Governor From To 1 80px Captain Sir Charles Hotham KCB RN  22 May 1855 31 December 1855 2 80px Sir Henry Barkly GCMG KCB FRS FRGS 26 December 1856  10 September 1863 3  80px Sir Charles Darling KCB 11 September 1863  7 May 1866  4 80px The Rt Hon. Viscount Canterbury GCMG KCB 15 August 1866 2 March 1873 5 80px The Rt Hon. Sir George Bowen GCMG 30 July 1873  22 February 1879 6 80px The Most Hon. Marquess of Normanby GCB GCMG PC 29 April 1879 18 April 1884 7 80px The Rt Hon. Lord Loch GCMG KCB 15 July 1884 15 November 1889 8 80px The Most Hon. Earl of Hopetoun KT GCMG GCVO PC 28 November 1889  12 July 1895 9 80px The Rt Hon. Earl Brassey GCB JP DL TD 25 October 1895 31 March 1900 10 80px The Rt Hon. Baron Sydenham of Combe GCSI GCIE GCMG GBE 10 December 1901 24 November 1903 11 80px The Hon. Major-General Sir Reginald Talbot KCB 25 April 1904 6 July 1908 12 80px The Rt Hon. Lord Carmichael GCSI GCIE KCMG DL 27 July 1908 19 May 1911 13 80px The Rt Hon. Sir John Fuller Bt KCMG 24 May 1911 24 November 1913 14 80px The Rt Hon. Lord Sheffield KCMG 23 February 1914 30 January 1920 15 80px The Rt Hon. Earl of Stradbroke KCMG CB CVO CBE VD TD 24 February 1921 7 April 1926 16 80px The Rt Hon. Lord Somers KCMG DSO MC 28 June 1926 23 June 1931 17 80px The Rt Hon. Lord Huntingfield KCMG 14 May 1934 4 April 1939 18 80px The Rt Hon. Major General The Lord Dugan GCMG CB DSO 17 July 1939 20 February 1949 19  General Sir Reginald Dallas Brooks GCMG KCB KCVO DSO 18 October 1949 7 May 1963 20 80px Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe KCMG KBE CB DSO 8 May 1963 31 May 1974 21 80px The Hon. Sir Henry Winneke AC KCMG KCVO OBE QC 1 June 1974 28 February 1982 22 80px Rear Admiral Sir Brian Murray KCMG AO 1 March 1982 3 October 1985 23 80px The Reverend Dr Davis McCaughey AC 18 February 1986 22 April 1992 24 80px The Hon. Richard McGarvie AC QC 23 April 1992 23 April 1997 25 80px The Hon. Sir James Gobbo AC CVO QC 24 April 1997 31 December 2000 2680px  Mr. John Landy AC CVO MBE  1 January 2001 7 April 2006 27 80px Professor David de Kretser AC 7 April 2006 7 April 2011 28 80px The Hon. Alex Chernov AC QC 8 April 2011 Present

References

Other  websites
 The Official Website of the Governor of Victoria 
 Governors of Victoria, Parliament of Victoria