Governor of Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Western Australia
Flag of the Governor
Badge of the governor
Incumbent Chris Dawson since 15 July 2022
Viceregal
Style	His Excellency the Honourable
Residence	Government House, Perth
Seat	Perth
Appointer	Monarch on the advice of the premier
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure (usually 5 years by convention)
Formation	6 February 1832
First holder	Captain James Stirling

The Governor of Western Australia is like a special representative for King Charles III in Western Australia. This important role is similar to what other governors do in different Australian states. The Governor has several key jobs. These include official duties, special ceremonies, and helping the community.

The Governor's main tasks include:

• Leading the Executive Council. This is a group of important advisors.
• Starting and ending meetings of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. These are parts of the state's parliament.
• Announcing when elections will happen.
• Choosing important people for jobs. These include Ministers, Judges, Magistrates, and Justices of the Peace.

Also, any new laws passed by the Parliament of Western Australia need the Governor's signature. This makes them official. However, the Governor almost always follows the advice of the Premier and the government's team. So, signing new laws is usually a formal step.

For a long time, most governors of Western Australia were British officials. This changed in 1948 when Sir James Mitchell became Governor. He was the first Australian to hold the role. After him, a few more British governors served. The last non-Australian governor was Sir Richard Trowbridge, who served from 1980 to 1983.

Special Titles for the Governor

While in office, the Governor of Western Australia is called "His Excellency" (or "Her Excellency" for a female Governor). In August 2014, some former governors were given the title "The Honourable". This was suggested by the Premier. One former governor, Michael Jeffery, already had this title. He received it because he later served as the governor-general of Australia.

The Governor's Flag

The Governor of Western Australia has a special flag. It looks like the British blue flag. It has the Union Flag (the UK flag) in the top left corner. On the right side, there is a black swan inside a yellow circle. Above the swan is a special crown called the St. Edward's Crown.

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

• 

  1870–1953

• 

  1953-1988

• 

  1988 -present

Who Has Been Governor?

Here is a list of the people who have served as Governor of Western Australia.

Past Governors

The first Governor, James Stirling, officially became Governor on February 6, 1832. Before that, he was in charge without a formal document. He once said he was the first Governor to start a settlement without a proper commission, laws, instructions, or salary.

No.	Portrait	Governor	From	To
1		Captain Sir James Stirling RN	6 February 1832	2 January 1839
2		John Hutt	3 January 1839	26 January 1846
3		Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Clarke KCH	27 January 1846	11 February 1847
-		Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Irwin (acting Governor)	12 February 1847	11 August 1848
4		Captain Charles Fitzgerald	12 August 1848	22 July 1855
5		Sir Arthur Kennedy GCMG CB	23 July 1855	27 February 1862
6		Dr John Hampton	28 February 1862	1 November 1868
7		Sir Benjamin Pine	2 November 1868	29 September 1869
8		The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG	30 September 1869	10 January 1875
9		Sir William Robinson GCMG	11 January 1875	11 November 1877
10		Major General The Hon. Sir Harry Ord GCMG CB RE	12 November 1877	9 April 1880
-		Sir William Robinson GCMG (2nd time)	10 April 1880	1 June 1883
11		Sir Frederick Broome KCMG	2 June 1883	19 October 1890
-		Sir William Robinson GCMG (3rd time)	20 October 1890	22 December 1895
12		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Gerard Smith KCMG	23 December 1895	30 April 1901
13		Sir Arthur Lawley GCIE KCMG	1 May 1901	23 March 1903
14		Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford KCB	24 March 1903	30 May 1909
15		Sir Gerald Strickland KCMG	31 May 1909	16 March 1913
16		Major General Sir Harry Barron KCMG CVO	17 March 1913	8 April 1917
17		The Rt Hon. Sir William Ellison-Macartney KCMG	9 April 1917	8 April 1920
18		Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG	9 April 1920	27 October 1924
19		Colonel Sir William Campion KCMG DSO TD	28 October 1924	8 June 1931
		N/A	1931	1948
20		Sir James Mitchell GCMG	5 October 1948	30 June 1951
21		General Sir Charles Gairdner GBE KCMG KCVO CB	6 November 1951	25 October 1963
22		Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew KCMG CB CBE DSO	25 October 1963	6 January 1974
23		Air Commodore Sir Hughie Edwards VC KCMG CB DSO OBE DFC	7 January 1974	2 April 1975
24		Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Hart Kyle GCB KCVO CBE DSO DFC	24 November 1975	24 November 1980
25		Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge KCVO	25 November 1980	24 November 1983
26		Professor Gordon Reid AC	2 July 1984	30 September 1989
27		The Hon. Sir Francis Burt AC KCMG QC	20 March 1990	31 October 1993
28		Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC	1 November 1993	17 August 2000
29		Lieutenant General John Sanderson AC	18 August 2000	31 October 2005
30		Dr Ken Michael AC	18 January 2006	2 May 2011
31		Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC	1 July 2011	30 June 2014
32		Kerry Sanderson AC	20 October 2014	1 May 2018
33		Kim Beazley AC	1 May 2018	30 June 2022
34		Chris Dawson AC APM	15 July 2022	Current

What is a Lieutenant-Governor?

A Lieutenant-Governor is like a deputy for the Governor. They take over the Governor's duties when the Governor is away or unable to perform their role.

No.	Portrait	Lieutenant-Governor	From	To
1		Captain Sir James Stirling RN	30 December 1828	5 February 1832
...
N/A		Sir James Mitchell GCMG	1933	1948
...
N/A		Peter Quinlan	27 November 2019	Current