Governor of Tasmania

The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the governor is Government House located at the Queens Domain[1] in Hobart. As the sovereign predominantly lives outside Tasmania, the governor's primary task is to perform the sovereign's constitutional duties on their behalf.[2]

Governor of Tasmania
Badge of the Governor
Flag of the Governor
Incumbent
Barbara Baker
since 16 June 2021
Viceregal
StyleHer Excellency The Honourable
ResidenceGovernment House, Hobart
SeatHobart
NominatorPremier of Tasmania
AppointerMonarch of Australia
on the advice of the Premier
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
(usually 5 years by convention)
Formation8 January 1855
First holderSir Henry Fox Young
Websitegovhouse.tas.gov.au

As with the other state governors, the governor performs similar constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the governor-general of Australia does at the national level. The position has its origins in the positions of commandant and lieutenant-governor in the colonial administration of Van Diemen's Land. The territory was separated from the Colony of New South Wales in 1825 and the title "governor" was used from 1855, the same year in which it adopted its current name. In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of parliamentary government, the governor now acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the premier of Tasmania.

Tasmania retained British-born governors longer than most other states. The first Australian-born governor was Sir Stanley Burbury (appointed 1973) and the first Tasmanian-born governor was Sir Guy Green (appointed 1995). Since Burbury, all Tasmanian governors have been Australian-born, except for Peter Underwood who was born in Britain but emigrated to Australia when a teenager.

Titles

Since December 2014, the incumbent and all future Tasmanian governors have been entitled to be styled as The Honourable for life.[3]

Governor's personal flag

The personal flag of the governor of Tasmania is the same design as the British blue ensign with the Union Flag at the upper left quarter. On the right side, the state badge of Tasmania, consisting of a white disk with a red lion passant, is surmounted by St. Edward's Crown. The flag was adopted in 1977.

If the standard is flying at Government House, on a vehicle or vessel, or at an event, this indicates that the governor is present.

Past and present flags of the governor
  • 1875–1876
    1875–1876
  • 1876–1977
    1876–1977
  • 1977–present
    1977–present

Divided in two

Between 1804 and 1813, Van Diemen's Land was divided along the 42nd parallel, and the two sections governed as separate lieutenant-governorships under the governor of New South Wales.[4][5] Collins was the only officially appointed lieutenant-governor—upon his death in 1810, the government in Hobart Town was administered, by the Commandants at Hobart Town (Lord, Murray and Geils). The northern settlement at Port Dalrymple (now George Town) was administered by four commandants until the settlements were merged to form the single colony under the governorship of Thomas Davey in 1813.[6]

Lieutenant-governors and commandants in the south
No. Lieutenant-governor From To
1 Colonel David Collins 1804 1810
2 Lieutenant Edward Lord
(Commandant at Hobart Town)		 March 1810 July 1810
3 Captain John Murray
(Commandant at Hobart Town)		 1810 1812
4 Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Geils
(Commandant at Hobart Town)		 1812 1813

Commandants in the north
No. Commandant at Port Dalrymple From To
1 Colonel William Paterson 1804 1808
2 Captain John Brabyn 1808 1810
3 Major George Alexander Gordon 1810 1812
4 Captain John Ritchie 1812 1812

List of governors of Tasmania

Lieutenant-governors

The colony was called Van Diemen's Land until 1856.

No.Lieutenant-governorFromTo
1 Colonel Thomas Davey 4 February 18139 March 1817
2 Colonel William Sorell 9 March 181714 May 1824
3 Sir George Arthur 14 May 182429 October 1836
4 Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS 5 January 183721 August 1843
5 Sir John Eardley-Wilmot 21 August 184313 October 1846
6 Sir William Denison 25 January 18478 January 1855

Governor-in-chief
No. Governor From To
1 Sir Henry Young KCMG 8 January 1855 10 December 1861

Governors
No. Governor From To
1 Colonel Sir Thomas Browne KCMG CB 11 December 1862 30 December 1868
2 Sir Charles Du Cane KCMG 15 January 1869 30 November 1874
3 The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG 13 January 1875 5 April 1880
4 The Hon. Sir John Henry Lefroy CB, GCMG 1880 1881
5 Major Sir George Strahan KCMG 7 December 1881 28 October 1886
6 Sir Robert Hamilton KCB 11 March 1887 30 November 1892
7 The 14th Viscount Gormanston, GCMG 8 August 1893 14 August 1900
8 Captain Sir Arthur Havelock GCSI GCMG GCIE 8 November 1901 16 April 1904
9 Sir Gerald Strickland KCMG 28 October 1904 20 May 1909
10 Major-General Sir Harry Barron KCMG CVO 16 September 1909 3 March 1913
11 The Rt Hon. Sir William Ellison-Macartney KCMG 4 June 1913 31 March 1917
12 Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG KStJ 30 March 1917 22 February 1920
13 Sir William Allardyce KCMG 16 April 1920 27 January 1922
14 Sir James O'Grady KCMG 23 December 1924 23 December 1930
15 Sir Ernest Clark GCMG KCB CBE 4 August 1933 4 August 1945
16 Admiral Sir Hugh Binney KCB KCMG DSO 24 December 1945 8 May 1951
17 The Rt Hon. Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Bt KCMG KCVO PC 22 August 1951 4 June 1958
18 The 2nd Baron Rowallan KT KBE MC TD 21 October 1959 25 March 1963
19 Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Gairdner GBE KCMG KCVO CB 24 September 1963 11 July 1968
20 Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan KCMG KCVO KBE CB 2 December 1968 30 November 1973
21 The Hon. Sir Stanley Burbury KCMG KCVO KBE 5 December 1973 16 March 1982
22 Sir James Plimsoll AC CBE KStJ 1 October 1982 8 May 1987
23 General Sir Phillip Bennett AC KBE DSO KStJ 19 October 1987 2 October 1995
24 The Hon. Sir Guy Green AC KBE CVO 2 October 1995 3 October 2003
25 Richard Butler AC 3 October 2003 9 August 2004
26 The Hon. William Cox AC RFD ED QC 15 December 2004 2 April 2008
27 The Hon. Peter Underwood AC 2 April 2008 7 July 2014
28 The Hon. Professor Kate Warner AC 10 December 2014 9 June 2021
29 The Hon. Barbara Baker AC 16 June 2021 present

References
  1. So spelt.
  2. Australia Act 1986, s 7.
  3. "Tasmanian Gazette" (PDF). 10 December 2014.
  4. Past Governors Archived 2006-06-17 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. "Documenting Democracy". Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  6. Widowson, Henry: Present State of Van Diemen's Land, 1829.
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