ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I am honoured to announce that His Majesty The King has approved my recommendation to appoint Ms Samantha Mostyn AO as Australia’s next Governor‑General. Ms Mostyn will be the 28th Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and the second woman to hold this office. Sam Mostyn is an exceptional leader who represents the best of modern Australia. She has lived her life in the service of a powerful Australian principle: when more people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, our nation is a better place. Australia will always be a stronger and more successful country, when we draw on the skills and smarts of all our citizens. This understanding has driven Sam’s tireless advocacy for gender equality, particularly in the world of business, for women’s safety and for Reconciliation. The daughter of an army officer, and a lawyer by training, Sam is a deeply respected and highly accomplished business leader. With experience in a broad cross section of Australian life, she brings valuable new insights and experience to this important role. Ms Mostyn has worked with Reconciliation Australia, Beyond Blue, the Australia Council for the Arts, the National Mental Health Commission, and, for over a decade, the AFL, where as a member of the AFL Commission she was a strong advocate for the creation of the AFL Women’s competition. In 2021 Ms Mostyn was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for her distinguished service. The Governor-General has the great privilege of serving Australians as the representative of His Majesty The King. This highest office in Australia performs important constitutional and ceremonial duties that are vital to our democracy. In addition to these significant responsibilities, the Governor-General serves the community as well as the nation, shining a light on the generosity, resilience and compassion of everyday Australians. The Governor-General travels far and wide throughout our country to celebrate our achievements, mark significant milestones and support people facing adversity. They serve as Patron to a diverse group of grass roots organisations and support the countless Australians who work tirelessly in service to their communities. The Governor-General also oversees the honours and awards system, which recognises the outstanding service, bravery and excellence of Australians from all walks of life. Ms Mostyn is a modern and optimistic leader for our modern and optimistic nation. Her leadership reflects our enduring Australian values of equality, fairness and a responsibility to build a better future for the next generation. I am confident Ms Mostyn will discharge her duties as Governor-General with her customary dedication, creativity and compassion – and an unwavering sense of service to our nation. Ms Mostyn will be sworn in to office on 1 July 2024 at a ceremony in Parliament House. On behalf of all Australians, I sincerely thank our 27th Governor-General, His Excellency General David Hurley for his outstanding service. David Hurley has done his duty with dignity, humility and great respect for the country he loves. I wish him, and Mrs Hurley, all the very best for the next chapter of their lives together. And on a personal note, I thank him for his engagement with me as Prime Minister, that we have had a respectful dialogue between the Governor-General and Prime Minister, which is so important for the nature of our democracy. I would ask the Governor-General Designate to make some comments. This release for people's information will be done simultaneously here in Australia at precisely this time with a statement by the Palace in the United Kingdom. Ms Mostyn, the Governor-General Designate, will make some comments. She will then depart and not be making any public comments as protocol requires until after 1 July and I will be happy to take questions.
SAMANTHA MOSTYN AO, GOVERNOR-GENERAL DESIGNATE: Well thank you, Prime Minister, for your generous words and your trust and confidence in inviting me to serve as Australia's 28th Governor-General. I'm deeply honoured by this great privilege and look forward to representing the values, hopes and aspirations of all Australians. I will never underestimate or take for granted the expectations that come with high office and I am ready to serve with integrity, compassion and respect. It is fitting to be here today in Canberra on Ngunnawal country, where I pay my respects to the traditional owners of this land, to elders, past and present, and to any other people or families with connections to the lands of the ACT and the surrounding regions. I was born not far from here, at the old Canberra hospital and most of the formative experiences and influences that have shaped my life happen here. I have always believed that we are all so much more interesting and complex than the stereotypes often drawn of us by those who have only limited understanding of our character and essence. So today, given the importance of this announcement, Prime Minister, I want to introduce myself to those who do not yet know me so well. Like most people, and certainly most people in Australia, my fundamental values were set early by my parents and our family life. Along with my three younger sisters, I grew up in an army family, our father a Royal Military College Duntroon graduate who served Australia with distinction for almost 40 years, supported by the generosity, love, care and selflessness of our late mother. In my very early years, my dad's military service took us to the United States and Canada before returning to Australia and living in Adelaide and Melbourne, including time spent with my grandmother when my father served in Vietnam. We learned to be resilient. By the early 1970s, we had returned to Canberra, where I was the beneficiary of the public education system and then later completing an arts law degree at the Australian National University while working as a researcher for the Chief Magistrate of the ACT. My memories are of deep service, community involvement, education and learning, sport and music, volunteering and engaging in the disability sector. I also clearly and fondly recall our annual attendances at Anzac Day dawn services and marches and standing patiently with my sisters in the crowds on Dunrossil Drive at Yarralumla, waiting to catch that glimpse of Her Majesty The Queen on her visits to Canberra in the 1970s. My parents instilled in us the values that they lived so consistently. Generosity, care for others, respect, curiosity, being of service to society and always humility. Millions of Australians know this to be true, that being of service is what often provides a person with their greatest happiness and sense of purpose. That is certainly the case for me and I can think of no greater purpose, Prime Minister, than to serve this country I love as Governor-General, particularly at a time in our history when the challenges and opportunities we face are large and complex. In the past 40 years, I hope my career and contributions reflect these values. I've worked in the highest levels of many Australian companies and spent time working globally. I've also had the privilege of advising governments of all persuasions across the country. And I've had the great fortune to have had exceptional and generous mentors, guides and colleagues and dear friends and family whose wisdom, advice and support has shaped my adult life. Alongside my broad business career, I've forged a strong connection with many other aspects of Australian life, including in sport, civil society, arts and culture, First Nations reconciliation, sustainability in the environment, policy development, mental health, gender equality and young people. In those roles it has been a privilege to work with so many Australians across this country, engaging respectfully in the complex conversations that define the Australian community in all of its rich diversity. My connections to this country and people have come in so many forms, from contributing to governance around executive investment and board tables, to cheering at the footy, to being moved and inspired sitting in the audience at our extraordinary arts and music events, or simply packing food boxes in my local community. The beauty of Australians is our ability to pull together, often despite our differences. I've had engaging discussions with farmers about the challenges of climate change, listened deeply to young people talking enthusiastically about civics and democracy and intergenerational fairness. I spent time listening carefully to single mothers and domestic violence survivors, and shared coffees and stories in men's sheds. The current Governor-General, his Excellency General David Hurley, reflected on this just a few months ago when he highlighted that our country's diversity is a strength and we are bound by an underlying respect for each other. I absolutely agree with that. My legal training, including time spent in courts from the Magistrates Court here in Canberra to the Court of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court, ensures that I understand and deeply respect our institutions, the rule of law and in particular the democratic will of the Australian people when it comes to our constitutional arrangements. It is this that will guide me in carrying out the duties of this office. My final reflections are reserved for the most important people in my life, my husband Simeon, a senior barrister and our talented and creative daughter, Lottie. A decision to serve the Australian people could only be taken in partnership with my family. Their unwavering support in enthusiastically accepting this appointment in the knowledge and understanding of the considerable changes to our family life is something I will always value. I love them dearly and they will be a big part of what I do as your next Governor-General. Thank you again, Prime Minister, for this great honour.