WEBVTT - TDA interviews the Governor-General 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:03.280 Already and this is the Daily Art. 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.840 This is the Daily ohs oh, now it makes sense. 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.639 Good morning and welcome to the Daily Ours. It's Monday, 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:21.560 the seventh of July. I'm Emma Gillespie, I'm Billy fit Simon's. 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:23.840 We are bringing you something a little bit different to 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:28.360 start your week today. It's an interview with Australia's head 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:30.680 of state. Now you would be forgiven for thinking we 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.760 might be talking about the Prime Minister, but we are not. 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:38.120 We are actually talking about the Governor General. Sam Austin 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:41.120 was appointed to the role just over a year ago 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:45.279 and as Governor General, she has a variety of constitutional 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:50.199 and ceremonial responsibilities and she acts as the King's representative 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:54.040 in Australia. But what does any of that really mean? 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:58.000 And how does it work? To unpack these questions and more, Emma, 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:00.840 you sat down with Sam Muston to find out all 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:01.360 about it. 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:04.200 I sure did. Here is my chat with none other 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:10.920 than the Governor General. Governor General Sam Mouston. Welcome to 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:11.680 the podcast. 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:13.440 Thanks Simmah. It's great to be here. 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:16.000 We are very excited to be talking with you today. 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.800 And we'll start with a really simple bit broad one. 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:22.600 I suppose what is the role of the Governor General? 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:24.000 What do you do? 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:26.880 Well? Thank you for asking that question. A lot of 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:30.000 people meet me in many different walks of life now 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:31.959 and they say, it's nice to see, but who are 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.000 you and what do you do? So I like to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.440 think of the Governor General having four c's that define 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.399 the ambit of the role. And it's really simple. I 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:45.280 have constitutional roles, I have ceremonial functions, community obligations and 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:48.440 community interaction. And I'm Commander in Chief of the Australian 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.160 Defense Force. How I came to be here and what 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:54.120 a Governor General is is all a function of our 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:58.880 wonderful democracy. We have a constitution that governs how our 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:03.400 parliamentary and operate. So I'm effectively a part of the parliament. 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:07.400 I am appointed by the monarch, King Child, but I 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:11.360 am chosen by the Australian Prime Minister, as all Australian 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.280 Governor's General have been before. And then I carry all 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.840 of the constitutional functions that are held by the head 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.560 of state, who is the King, and so I'm not 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.240 the Australian head of state. I represent the Australian head 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.480 of state. And an important feature that many people miss 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:30.560 is that the King would never contact an Australian Governor 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:34.359 General to suggest how we should do anything or offer 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.920 advice or direction, and a governor General would never contact 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:40.800 the Palace to ask for advice. I take my advice 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:43.680 and counsel from the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and I 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.560 work with the government and the Parliament, and so we 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:50.320 have a historical connection to the monarch, but that has 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.720 no bearing on the way in which I conduct myself 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:53.119 in the role. 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:56.360 It sounds like a pretty unique job. How do you 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:59.360 know you're doing a good job? And if it's not Charles, 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:00.600 who is your boss? 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.480 That's such a good question. I've been appointed by someone who, 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:07.799 under the Constitution is the head of state, and theoretically, 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:09.800 I guess you could say that would make him my boss. 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:12.840 But in the way I think of the Australian public 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.360 that all Australians are my boss, and so how do 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:17.880 I know how I'm doing a good job. One will 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.160 be that more Australians understand a why we have a 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:23.200 Governor General and what the purpose of the role is, 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:27.320 and b could actually describe how our constitutional system operates, 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:29.560 and we'll be able to tell you why our democracy 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.440 works and at least give you the basics of our civics. 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.000 If I could judge over the next few years or 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:37.840 see that more Australians were interested in how our democracy 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:42.360 actually works and showed up as active, curious, animated citizens, 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:44.600 then I think I'm doing a very good job on 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.120 that part of the role. More generally, I have to 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:49.920 do a good role for Australians in showing up and 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.560 representing the best of Australian values when it comes to 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:55.440 the ceremonial parts of my job, turning up in community 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.240 all around the country to listen to what it is 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.560 that Australians can tell someone who has no part politics 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.920 but could talk to government about things that I get 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.600 to see from my angle that maybe others in the 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:07.320 system don't. 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:11.000 I want to speak a little more about the constitutional 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:15.640 and legislative responsibilities of your role. Firstly, can you tell 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:20.080 us a little bit about royal assent how that all works. 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:24.599 Yes, So, for any legislation that he is raised in 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.680 the Parliament and has gone through both houses of the Parliament, 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:30.480 that is put into the bill form, it's signed by 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:33.000 the Clerk of the Senate and then is sent to 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.320 me to give the royal assent. So I'm always very 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:39.400 conscious that when I open those bills and as I'm signing, 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:41.760 I always think about the fact that in this moment, 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:44.360 in giving that assent, I'm giving effect to the will 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:47.320 of the Australian people, and this bill now becomes the law. 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.279 I can't read the bill and say, actually, I have 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:52.800 some questions or I'd like to debate the aspects of this. 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.719 It's my job to fulfill the ultimate final step of 0:04:56.800 --> 0:05:01.359 the people's elected representatives pass laws that then need the 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:02.560 assent under the Constitution. 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:07.200 What happens when or if legislation comes across your desk 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:12.360 that does conflict with your values. You have, throughout your 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.760 career in the private sector championed the cause of various 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.560 communities of social justice issues, So how do you reconcile 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:21.440 that part of yourself with this job. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.600 I wouldn't have accepted the job if I didn't understand 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:29.080 the very very specific obligations. When I was sworn in 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.640 as Australia's Governor General, I swore an oath to the 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.040 King and I saw an oath to the Australian people 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:37.599 about how I would conduct myself in the role. And 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:41.880 that is with total impartiality and no politics. No governor 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:46.760 General would ever ever tamper with a constitutional responsibility that 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:49.520 is so clear. And so I'm in that unique position 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:52.039 where I have no politics, I have no policies, I 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.480 have no money to administer. I represent ultimately what with 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:58.000 the will of all Australian people when they vote. All 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.280 I do was give effect to things that Australia what 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:04.360 to have happened. And my personal views really are not 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:07.200 to say relevant, they're completely inappropriate when it comes to 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:09.520 the administration of our government. 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:14.440 So in the context of government, you are the representative 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.920 of the constitution. You're kind of the expert of all 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:21.680 things constitutional, and it's your job to uphold every part 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:21.960 of that. 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:26.960 So the Crown's powers are dealt within the Constitution and 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:30.200 the power of the Governor General to represent the head 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:32.920 of state. Given all of that, some would say, well 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:35.320 the King must call occasionally and say I think you 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:37.040 could do it this way, or I've noticed this is 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.080 happening in your constitution. He would never do that, and 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:42.400 I would never call his office to say I'm looking 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:44.440 for guidance. The person I would speak to if I 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:46.560 had if I wanted to discuss things would be the 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:50.160 Prime Minister, a senior cabinet minister, or my staff the 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:52.640 office of the Official Secretary. I think it was almost 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:57.200 like an entirely hermetically sealed Australian way of operating. But 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:00.400 we draw my power from the head of Stafe in 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:01.960 the Constitution, the King. 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:05.120 How would you answer a question from someone who might ask, well, 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:09.640 what's the point? Why does that matter for the legislative process. 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:12.200 What we have? I think in this country it's a 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:15.440 story that starts with sixty five thousand years of attachment 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:20.400 to this continent and first Nations law, language, culture, eldership 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:23.640 always offered generously to those who have come subsequently, and 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.200 we come through fifty or sixty years of the most 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:29.840 remarkable multiculturalism and arrival of over eight million people to 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.080 this country who bring a promise when they become Australian 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.720 citizens to give effect to the laws of this country 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.000 and we give their allegiance to Australia and Australians. And 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:41.760 if you put those things together and you ask what's 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:44.880 holding the whole thing together so that we can continue 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.400 to grow and be dynamic, I think it's the fact 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:51.160 that we have this solid, solid democracy with a Westminster 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:53.920 system that's linked to the crown in a way that 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:57.880 gives stability and continuity, but does not determine how we 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:01.240 deal with that in this country. Our constitution at the 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:04.080 time a federation was drafted to give the power to 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:07.600 the people to always amend it should a government and 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.600 opposition of a day. Since that the Australian public has 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.360 an issue they would like to be asked about that 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.800 they could then vote on, and we've had many of those, 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.960 most do not succeed. The problem isn't with the crown. 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.400 It's that we've become a very complacent country with a 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:25.440 lack of attention to detail on civics. So when questions 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.840 are asked of us as a nation, if you don't 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.480 know that we have a constitution, if you don't know 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:32.520 the role of the Governor General and it's relationship with 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:36.120 the Prime Minister and the Parliament, and you're not encouraged 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:38.800 to have a civics view and think about yourself as 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.280 a citizen with a sense of agency, then why would 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.760 you show up and actually do the work to change 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:46.160 the constitution. So I see the problem not being in 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:48.880 our constitutional framework. The problem was in our lack of 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:52.000 understanding of the basic civics that give us the power 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:54.920 to exercise that right and to change things should the 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:55.680 country want to. 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.400 What you speak to there is so important to what 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.360 we're trying to do here on a much smaller scale 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:03.120 with what the daily olds means. 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:04.880 When I say the reason I'm so delighted to chat 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:07.720 with you, Emma and for your audience is that you're 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:10.200 not doing a little thing. What you're involved in is 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.120 what I think is fundamental to our success as a nation, 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:16.680 because I get this incredible kaleidoscopic view of the country 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:18.160 and then I get to see it at fine grain 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.520 when I go and visit communities and talk to people, 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.960 and I see the problem of the CIVICX question. And 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.360 so what you're doing in unpacking it and giving people 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.640 a sense of their own agency is really important. Thank you, 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.920 because you're dispelling a whole lot of misunderstanding, but you're 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.839 pushing up against misinformation and disinformation on this front. 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:40.000 I'm interested in unpacking those misconceptions around your relationship with 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:45.840 the royal family, specifically, acting for the monarch is that 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:49.280 different to acting for the royal family. I think a 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.280 lot of people do imagine that you might be emailing 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:54.720 each other or sending off a WhatsApp message here and there. 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:57.160 So and I like the way that you made the 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:01.480 distinction between the Crown and Royalty. I exercised the powers 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:04.920 of the Crown through the Constitution in Australia as an 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:09.400 Australian chosen by an Australian. I have a relationship with 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:12.520 His Majesty as he appointed me. I went to visit 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.079 him in Buckingham Palace in the months before I was appointed, 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:17.720 and we sat to get to know one another. We 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.120 had just under an hour together. He didn't tell me 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:21.679 how to do my job, but he asked me how 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.840 Australia was going. What was I saying, what was almost 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.000 proud of is Australian. He asked me about my daughter 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:30.600 and how she was going. It was both very important 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.280 and also very just person to person getting to know someone. 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.440 I said, would you like me to occasionally write to 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.839 you just to let you know things that are happening 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:40.439 in Australia, except that would be very good, and I 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:42.640 will occasionally write to you to let you know what's 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.560 happening here. When he came to Australia with Her Majesty 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:48.720 in October last year, and I hosted a royal visit. 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.120 Australians have an affinity and I think some affection for 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:55.640 the royal family, and a royal visit is always generally 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:58.440 well received. Those that are not happy make that known 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:01.640 and either ignore the whole thing or protest, and that's 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:03.520 one of the great things about our democracy that that 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:05.880 can happen. Of course, whilst he was here, he was 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:08.240 the head of state, and so I moved out of 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:12.000 Admiralty House while he and the Queen stayed there, because 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:14.880 that's the place where the Governor General or the head 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.400 of State will stay and it would be not appropriate 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.160 for me as just to be in the house chatting. 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:23.040 And because he's sharing Netflix login, that's. 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.080 Actually you might share a log in, but not share 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:28.040 a kind of conversation on a difficult constitutional issue I 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:29.640 might have in the back of my mind or a 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.160 thing that's facing Australia that I think he should guide 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.520 me on. That separation's really important. Does a deep respect 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:37.960 for one another. There's a deep understanding of what each 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.120 other's roles are. And then he was really intrigued and 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.000 interested in the successful parts of the country that we 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.600 were showing him and letting people come and tell him 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.000 about as part of the story of how Australia's going. 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:54.360 How do you balance representing the crown and representing modern Australia, 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.840 modern Australian values. What does that balance look like? 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.080 When the Prime Minister said he wanted me to be 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:05.840 a modern, visible and optimistic Governor General. In accepting the role, 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.480 I had to think, what does modernity for the Australian 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:11.880 Governor General actually mean? How do I show that? And 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:13.800 in part that's where I came to the view that 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:17.560 I would commit myself to care, kindness and respect as 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:19.960 the centerpiece of how I would do the job. What 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:25.040 is care in a modern, successful, complex society? How do 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.040 you show that? And I'm taking my lead now from 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:30.839 Australians wherever I go, and I ask them what does 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.560 care mean for you? Does it show up physically in 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.800 the middle of a terrible natural disaster? Or is it 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:39.200 the way we treat each other when someone is doing 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:40.440 it tough? Or do we do it through our mental 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.440 health system? Do we do it by not excluding The 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.840 great opportunity and gift I've been given in this role 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.120 is to show, in representing the head of state that 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:52.679 everyone can belong in this country. And I honestly am 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:56.280 I am overwhelmed with people's level of enthusiasm and interest 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.000 when they see that someone in a high public office 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:01.760 is happy to ask those questions to say, is that 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.760 actually what an Australian value is is that the muscle 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.520 we could be exercising, And so I think care and kindness, 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:11.520 respect exerising that muscle are now what I think are 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:12.840 some of the great Australian values. 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:17.160 With those values in mind, and you know, prioritizing care 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:21.920 and respect and what that means to you, inevitably a 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:27.840 role of the crown representing the crown means inevitable links 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:32.120 to colonialism and all that that symbolizes. How do you 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:36.640 reconcile that with Australia's First nation's history and how does 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.440 that play into your approach as governor General. 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:43.240 I guess it comes back to my philosphy that everyone belongs. 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.640 I have had a long association with many First Nations people, 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:49.400 and I served on the Board of Reconciliation Australia. I 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.760 had to imagine what would my conversations be with First 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:55.880 Nations Australians about why I would say yes without being 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:57.680 able to ask them at the time, But once I 0:13:57.720 --> 0:13:59.960 had announced, I reached out to all sorts of people 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.840 and it was so generous that Aboriginal torature. Other people said, 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:06.760 of course you should say yes, of course you should 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:08.800 do this job. But do it with the greatest of 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:12.680 respect to our story. But our story isn't your story. 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:18.280 Create spaces of respect and belonging where we continue to 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.840 tell our stories, and that's why I do. I try 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.520 to create an environment where we constantly look to the 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.920 strength we have uniquely because of where we started. And 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:28.680 I don't think any of us really ever want to 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:33.200 not acknowledge the history of what happened through colonization. I'm 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.200 disappointed as I was growing up, I had no knowledge 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.880 of that part of Australia. Where's my twenty five year 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:42.680 old daughter today had so much of that storytelling and engagement. 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.480 So I think it comes down to respect. Respect first, 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:48.040 nation of people for whom the crown is a real problem, 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.720 for whom Australia Day is a problem. I would always 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:53.560 acknowledge that for many that's the day of mourning. In fact, 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:55.720 in nineteen thirty eight, that was the date chosen by 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:59.080 the Aboriginal League to deal with mourning. So I'm trying 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.680 to be as expansive, inclusive, respectful, but understanding the role 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:07.160 I represent for some provides attention, and I will always 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:09.480 open that conversation up to explain my role in this 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.920 that my sense of deep respect always for First Nations 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:14.760 people and our history. 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.880 Do you see the role as having shifted in the 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:21.640 wake of the Voice referendum? Has anything changed since that failure? 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:24.600 The Governor General didn't play a role in the referendum, 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:27.640 but we know that for many communities, Aboriginal communities as 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.640 a very high rate of support. What I think has 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:33.240 changed for my role, though, is the way in which 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:36.400 compassion has shown. I often visit those communities and I 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:40.880 think just showing up understanding grief and pain. I don't 0:15:40.960 --> 0:15:44.280 enter into the discussion about the why or how. I 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:48.080 simply am there, as Sir Zelman Cowan used to say, 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:51.560 to reflect the light and shade of what's occurring in 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:55.880 communities back to the Australian people. And then Sir William 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:57.720 Dean said to me when I met all of the 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.480 living Governors General before I was sworn in, and so 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.840 William just said, just always act with compassion, Just show 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:07.160 up with compassion. Don't dismiss anybody. And that's one of 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:10.240 the great powers of this office is to show up, 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:13.840 to sit compassionately and listen and where appropriate, reflects some 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:15.240 of this light and shade. 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.400 Given some of the complexities that we have discussed, what 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:22.440 does the future of the role of the monarchy look 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:23.920 like for Australians. 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:26.880 The matter of the republic has been put to the 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.720 Australian public before and it was not successful. Australians did 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:32.880 not vote for it. And I think what we're seeing 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:36.560 is a modern king who's engaging on issues many Australians 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:40.760 share a view on. When people who serve turn up 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:44.440 and show that they are good people with compassion, Australians 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:45.840 seem to respond very well. 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:49.400 There was maybe a sentiment that when Queen Elizabeth passed 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:54.080 away the conversation would be reignited, but it hasn't really 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:54.480 has it. 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:58.880 No. If anything, I think a modern king doing what 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:03.120 he's doing and a failure of civics with us leaves 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:05.800 this big gap. It's chasm. And if the only question 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:08.120 we ever ask ourselves is our relationship to the king 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:13.480 as opposed to what is the constitution? How is Australia governed? 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.160 How does my vote count. That's my bigger concern that 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:20.080 if we just keep looking at monarchy and royalty as 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:24.479 some kind of proxy for a relationship that doesn't actually 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.359 tell us, never tells me what to do, then maybe 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:29.399 we're asking the wrong question about where we are as 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:33.000 a country. I have no stake in that in that 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:35.800 decision right where the Australian people go. I do have 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:39.400 a really big steak though, in helping Australians be proud 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:43.159 of that civic life and reflecting on why do I 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.520 not care? Why do I not know what the Governor 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:47.840 General does? And why is it easy for me to 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:50.040 knock it than it is to ask myself the question 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:53.280 of hang on, how does that work? Oh? Is that 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.720 why I have a compulsory vote? And I think, particularly 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.480 for people you're speaking to younger Australians, twenty five thousand 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.640 children and come through Government House every year at grade six, 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:06.040 half of those kids understand our civics. Generally, by the 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:07.720 time they get to end of view ten it's dropped 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:11.240 to under twenty five percent. So something's happening when those 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:14.240 kids come through who are enthusiastic and then knowing that 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:17.080 by the time they get to you ten who cares, 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:19.720 and then as they get to be adults, who cares 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:22.639 even less, And then we start throwing things around and 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:26.959 criticizing the people the roles. Then we're in division and 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:30.119 misinformation and disinformation, and no one knows how to interpret 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:32.439 what's real anymore. So I go back to how do 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:35.480 you grab hold of what I see in those twenty 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:39.200 five thousand children through your audience and beyond to say, 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:41.880 it is magic when you see a young person who 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:45.320 knows what our system is. And it's equally really upsetting 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.119 when I meet people who have given up caring. And 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:49.800 so my job, I think, is to keep showing up 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.440 and saying, no matter what you might think before asking 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:55.800 the question, I'm here to help build. Together with as 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.880 many as a strangers, I can find a story about 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.439 our civics and how we want to cherish it. 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:06.320 I'm really interested in your extensive experience in the private 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.800 sector as a woman who has been a pioneer in 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.080 many fields, in many different positions. I believe when you 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:15.640 were first appointed the first female AFL commissioner, you were 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.199 described as a quota pick. There is a lot of 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:21.359 conversation going on at the moment about quotas your position. 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.320 Leader Susan Lee just last week spoke about quotas. She 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:27.520 said she doesn't really care if we have quotas. She 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.800 just wants more women in the Liberal Party. So with 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:35.119 all of this conversation going on and your experience, what 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:37.520 is your stance on quoters? What's your position? 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:41.520 If I look back to the AFL days, the fastest 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:45.199 growing membership of clubs and the people who held up 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:50.359 the AFL system financially supporting were women. At least half 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:53.399 the fans were women, and so the president of the 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:56.200 AFL went to ten women. We went through the most 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:59.840 incredible series of interviews, Amy, I got down to short, 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.440 shorter lists until the last two of us were there, 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:05.200 and then finally I was the fortunate person to be appointed. 0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:10.000 And then it started, it's woke, it's gender. You know. 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:12.760 It was a many people wrote, she lacks merit, this 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:16.879 is simply a quota. My response at the time, in 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:18.640 the same way I would say about my current appointment, 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:21.520 is look at how we got here. So the men 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:24.080 on the commission before I was appointed were never put 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:27.159 through a recruitment process, though never interviewed. Now there are 0:20:27.200 --> 0:20:29.880 four women on that commission. Every appointment to the Commission 0:20:29.920 --> 0:20:34.240 is done through a process where there is an interview process, nominations, referees. 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:38.240 It didn't happen before that. So sometimes we fix imbalances 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.639 and inequalities by having to break the system, but do 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:43.600