Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia
| Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia | |
|---|---|
| Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General | |
| Appointer | Governor-General-in-Council |
| Term length | at the Governor's pleasure |
| Inaugural holder | Captain Sir Edward William Wallington |
| Formation | 1901 |
The Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia and his staff provide the governor-general with the necessary support to enable them to carry out their constitutional, statutory, ceremonial, and public duties. The position of Official Secretary was established in 1901, although only statutorily established in its modern form in 1984. It was abolished in 1927 after the Parliament moved from Melbourne to Canberra, but was recreated in 1931. As of 27 June 2014[update] the Official Secretary is Mark Fraser.
The support provided by the Office of the Official Secretary includes the organisation of, and advice relating to, their duties, hospitality for official functions, and administration of the Australian honours and Awards system. The Official Secretary is ex officio Secretary of the Order of Australia.
The Office also manages and maintains the official properties and associated heritage buildings and grounds, and opens the properties to members of the public for events sponsored by charitable institutions. The Official Secretary is supported in his role by program managers responsible for Executive Support, Household and Property, Organisation Services, and by the Director of the Honours Secretariat.
The best known Official Secretary is David Smith, who served five governors-general between 1973 and 1990. He was Official Secretary to Sir John Kerr at the time of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Following the dismissal of the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and the swearing-in of the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Fraser, Smith read out the proclamation of the dissolution of Parliament, on the steps of the then Parliament House (now Old Parliament House) in Canberra, with Whitlam and a large crowd attending. The Official Secretary's office was referred to in Whitlam's famous address to the crowd:
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