Governor of Tasmania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Tasmania
Flag of the Governor
Royal Cypher of King Charles III
Incumbent Barbara Baker since 16 June 2021
Viceregal
Style	Her Excellency The Honourable
Residence	Government House, Hobart
Seat	Hobart
Appointer	Monarch on the advice of the premier
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure (usually 5 years by convention)
Formation	8 January 1855
First holder	Sir Henry Fox Young

The Governor of Tasmania is a very important person in the Australian state of Tasmania. They act as the representative of the King of Australia, currently King Charles III. The current Governor is Barbara Baker, who started her role in June 2021.

The Governor's official home is called Government House. It is located at the Queens Domain in Hobart. The main job of the Governor is to carry out the King's duties in Tasmania.

Just like other state governors, the Governor of Tasmania has similar jobs to the governor-general of Australia. The Governor-General works for the King at a national level, while the state Governor works at the state level.

The role of Governor started a long time ago. It began with leaders called commandants and lieutenant-governors when Tasmania was known as Van Diemen's Land. This territory became separate from the Colony of New South Wales in 1825. The title "Governor" began in 1855, the same year the state got its current name.

Today, the Governor usually follows the advice of the elected government's leader, the premier of Tasmania. This is part of how Australia's government works, known as the Westminster system.

Tasmania had British-born governors for a long time. The first Australian-born Governor was Sir Stanley Burbury, appointed in 1973. The first Governor born in Tasmania was Sir Guy Green, appointed in 1995. Since Sir Stanley Burbury, most Tasmanian governors have been Australian-born. One exception was Peter Underwood, who was born in Britain but moved to Australia as a teenager.

What is the Governor's Title?

Since December 2014, the current Governor and all future Governors of Tasmania are allowed to use the title The Honourable for their whole lives.

The Governor's Personal Flag

The personal flag of the Governor of Tasmania looks like the British blue ensign. It has the Union Flag (the British flag) in the top left corner. On the right side, there is a white circle with a red lion walking. Above the lion is a crown called St. Edward's Crown. This flag was chosen in 1977.

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

Past and Present Flags of the Governor

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  1875–1876

• 

  1876–1977

• 

  1977–present

How Tasmania Was Governed in the Early Days

Between 1804 and 1813, Van Diemen's Land was split into two parts. These two parts were governed separately by lieutenant-governors under the governor of New South Wales.

The southern part, around Hobart Town, had a lieutenant-governor named Collins. After he passed away in 1810, commandants took over the government there. The northern settlement, called Port Dalrymple (now George Town), also had commandants in charge. In 1813, the two parts were joined together to form one colony under Governor Thomas Davey.

Early Leaders in the South (Hobart Town)

No.	Lieutenant-governor or Commandant		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

Early Leaders in the North (Port Dalrymple)

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 (Before 1856)

The colony was known as Van Diemen's Land until 1856.

No.	Lieutenant-governor		From	To
1		Colonel Thomas Davey	4 February 1813	9 March 1817
2		Colonel William Sorell	9 March 1817	14 May 1824
3		Sir George Arthur	14 May 1824	29 October 1836
4		Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS	5 January 1837	21 August 1843
5		Sir John Eardley-Wilmot	21 August 1843	13 October 1846
6		Sir William Denison	25 January 1847	8 January 1855

Governor-in-Chief (1855-1861)

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

Governors (From 1862 to Present)

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

Sources

• Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Tasmania
• Parliamentary Library – Governors of Tasmania