Governor of South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of South Australia
Flag of the governor
Badge of the governor
Incumbent Frances Adamson since 7 October 2021
Viceregal
Style	Her Excellency the Honourable
Residence	Government House, Adelaide
Seat	Adelaide
Appointer	Monarch on the advice of the premier
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure (usually 5 years by convention)
Formation	28 December 1836
First holder	Captain John Hindmarsh

The governor of South Australia is a very important person in South Australia. They represent the King, currently King Charles III, in the state. Think of them as the King's local representative. The governor does many of the same jobs for South Australia that the governor-general of Australia does for the whole country.

Usually, the governor follows the advice of the state's elected leader, called the premier of South Australia. This is part of how Australia's government works, known as the Westminster system. However, the governor also has special "reserve powers." These are powers they can use in rare situations, like dismissing the premier if needed.

Since June 2014, all governors, past and present, are given the special title 'The Honourable' for life. The first six governors were in charge from when South Australia was founded in 1836. This was before the state had its own elected government and Parliament of South Australia.

The first governor born in Australia was Major-General Sir James Harrison, appointed in 1968. Many governors since then have also been Australian-born. Sir Mark Oliphant was the first governor born in South Australia (1971). Sir Douglas Nicholls was the first Aboriginal governor (1976).

The current governor is Frances Adamson. She started her role on 7 October 2021. She took over from Hieu Van Le, who was governor from 2014 to 2021. The governor's official home is Government House in Adelaide, the capital city.

What the Governor Does

Before South Australia had its own government, the governor was in charge of making sure laws and policies from the Government of the United Kingdom were followed. Today, the governor's main job is to protect the South Australian Constitution. They also help the Parliament and state government do their work smoothly.

The governor usually uses their powers based on advice from government ministers. This advice is given through a group called the Executive Council. Some of the governor's important powers, used with the Executive Council's advice, include:

• Choosing and removing ministers.
• Granting mercy to people who have committed crimes.
• Creating new rules and announcements under existing laws.
• Approving new laws passed by Parliament. This is called giving "royal assent."
• Appointing judges, special investigators, and senior public workers.
• Ending Parliament sessions and calling for new elections.

The governor also has "reserve powers." These are special powers they can use without the Executive Council's advice. These powers are mainly about appointing or dismissing ministers and Parliament in very unusual situations.

Governor's Flag

The governor of South Australia has a special flag. It looks like the British blue flag, with the Union Flag in the top left corner. On the right side, there is a golden circle with a piping shrike bird. Above the bird is a crown. In 2024, the type of crown shown on the flag changed from a St Edward's Crown to a Tudor Crown.

If this flag is flying at Government House, on a car, or at an event, it means the governor is there.

Past and present flags of the governor

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  1870–1876

• 

  1876–1904

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  1904–1975

• 

  1975–2024

Governor's Awards

The governor of South Australia helps celebrate people who do great things in the community. They present several annual awards:

• The Governor's Multicultural Awards: These awards celebrate South Australians who help promote different cultures and show how good cultural diversity is for the community.
• The Governor's Aboriginal Youth Awards: These awards recognise young Aboriginal South Australians, aged 15 to 29. They celebrate young people who are showing great potential or are doing very well in sports, arts, or higher education.
• The Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools: These awards help young South Australians learn about what it means to be a good citizen in a diverse and democratic society. They started in 2019 for Year 5 students and expanded to include students from Years 5–12 in 2020.

Commendations

The governor also gives special commendations for excellent results in the SACE Year 12 exams. These include:

• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence Award
• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Aboriginal Student SACE Excellence Award
• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence in Modified SACE Award.

List of Governors

Here is a list of the people who have served as governor of South Australia.

No.	Portrait	Governor	Term begin	Term end
Governors appointed by King William IV (1830–1837):
1		Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh	28 December 1836	16 July 1838
Governors appointed by Queen Victoria (1837–1901):
2		Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler	17 October 1838	15 May 1841
3		Sir George Grey	15 May 1841	25 October 1845
4		Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Holt Robe	25 October 1845	2 August 1848
5		Sir Henry Fox Young	2 August 1848	20 December 1854
6		Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell	8 June 1855	4 March 1862
7		Sir Dominick Daly	4 March 1862	19 February 1868
8		The Rt Hon. Sir James Fergusson	16 February 1869	18 April 1873
9		Sir Anthony Musgrave	9 June 1873	29 January 1877
10		Lieutenant-General Sir William Jervois	2 October 1877	9 January 1883
11		Sir William Robinson	19 February 1883	5 March 1889
12		The Rt Hon. Earl of Kintore	11 April 1889	10 April 1895
13		Sir Fowell Buxton	29 October 1895	29 March 1899
14		The Rt Hon. Lord Tennyson	10 April 1899	17 July 1902
Governors appointed by King Edward VII (1901–1910):
15		Sir George Le Hunte	1 July 1903	18 February 1909
16		Admiral Sir Day Bosanquet	18 February 1909	22 March 1914
Governors appointed by King George V (1910–1936):
17		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Galway	18 April 1914	30 April 1920
18		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Archibald Weigall	9 June 1920	30 May 1922
19		Lieutenant-General Sir Tom Bridges	4 December 1922	4 December 1927
20		Brigadier The Hon. Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven	14 May 1928	26 April 1934
21		Major-General Sir Winston Dugan	28 July 1934	23 February 1939
Governors appointed by King George VI (1936–1952):
22		Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey	12 August 1939	26 April 1944
23		Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Norrie	19 December 1944	19 June 1952
Governors appointed by Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022):
24		Air Vice-Marshal Sir Robert George	23 February 1953	7 March 1960
25		Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan	4 April 1961	1 June 1968
26		Major General Sir James Harrison	4 December 1968	16 September 1971
27		Professor Sir Mark Oliphant	1 December 1971	30 November 1976
28		Sir Douglas Nicholls	1 December 1976	30 April 1977
29		Reverend Sir Keith Seaman	1 September 1977	28 March 1982
30		Lieutenant General Sir Donald Dunstan	23 April 1982	5 February 1991
31		The Hon. Dame Roma Mitchell	6 February 1991	21 July 1996
32		Sir Eric Neal	22 July 1996	3 November 2001
33		Marjorie Jackson-Nelson	3 November 2001	31 July 2007
34		Rear Admiral The Hon. Kevin Scarce	8 August 2007	7 August 2014
35		The Hon. Hieu Van Le	1 September 2014	31 August 2021
36		Frances Adamson	7 October 2021

Administrators and Lieutenant Governors

These people stepped in to manage the government when the official governor was away.