Administrator (Australia)

The title Administrator of the government (Administrator) has several uses in Australia. Administrator of the Commonwealth Section 4 of the Australian Constitution provides that: Accordingly, an administrator is appointed when the Governor-General dies, resigns or is absent from Australia. The administrator is styled either Administrator of the Commonwealth or, less commonly, Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth. By convention, the administrator is usually the longest serving state governor, who holds a dormant commission from the sovereign (currently Charles III). There have been four separate occasions during which a governor of one of the states has ascended to the office of Governor-General by dormant commission due to unforeseen circumstances: 17 July 1902 – 9 January 1903; Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, Governor of South Australia since April 1899, was appointed by Edward VII to the office after the sudden resignation of the Earl of Hopetoun. After several months acting in the position, Baron Tennyson was appointed to the office of Governor-General permanently, which is to date the only occasion on which this has occurred. 2 October 1930 – 21 January 1931; Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers, who had been the Governor of Victoria since June 1926, became Governor-General by dormant commission after the term of The Viscount Stonehaven expired and he left Australia. Sir Isaac Isaacs, the Chief Justice of Australia since April 1930, was appointed to the position permanently. Lord Somers retired as Governor of Victoria later that year. 3 February 1961 – 3 August 1961; General Sir Dallas Brooks, Governor of Victoria since October 1949, ascended to the position by the power of a dormant commission after the death of The Viscount Dunrossil. Lord De L'Isle was appointed as Governor-General a few months later in August 1961. Brooks retired as Governor of Victoria in May 1963. 28 May 2003 – 11 August 2003; After Peter Hollingworth announced his resignation and his commission was withdrawn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Guy Green, who had been Governor of Tasmania since October 1995, assumed the position by dormant commission. Prime Minister John Howard announced his replacement, Michael Jeffery, in mid-2003, and he took office in August. Green retired as Governor of Tasmania later that year.