@box text intr = So Peter Hollingworth, Australia's most infamous paedophile protector, has finally resigned his position as governor-general in disgrace — taking his "pension" of $184,860 a year with him — and the search will begin for a new governor-general.
Already the ALP is demanding that any new candidate be accepted by two-thirds of the members of the federal parliament, on the principle that anyone liked by a lot of politicians has to be okay.
Prime Minister John Howard maintains that he can pick someone for the post who is, at least, inoffensive. Most of us, however, will have doubts.
Other elite commentators have started arguing for some form of public consultation — which might at least deliver someone entertaining. According to Australia's daily newspaper letters pages, some of the most popular choices are Pat Rafter and Sir Les Paterson, the fictional politician created by Barry Humphries.
The real question that needs to be asked is not "who?", but "'why?"
The vice-regal office of governor-general eats up $10 million of taxpayers' money each year, and for what? A professional fete opener? Someone to rubber-stamp legislation already approved by parliament?
If we need someone to "represent" the nation at ceremonial occasions, and open buildings, maybe we could give some of this country's real heroes a look in. For example, how about having a highway opened by a relative of one of the 50-odd truck drivers killed on the roads each year? Or a city park opened by one of the work-for-the-dole "employees" who laboured to make it? The appropriate plaque might read: "This park was opened by Rick Little, one of the landscape gardeners who was paid $140 a week by the Aboriginal work-for-the-dole scheme for his work."
Of course, the governor-general isn't really just a ceremonial office. It's an office with the constitutional power to dismiss elected governments, to command the armed forces and to reject legislation approved by parliament.
We don't need an unelected, unaccountable official to appoint and dismiss elected governments, exercise command of the armed forces and approve or reject legislation adopted by parliament. The government, and the military, should be accountable to the elected representatives of the people — not some unelected representative of an absent monarch, handpicked exclusively by the prime minister.
And then the $10 million that's wasted on the GG's office could be spent by the government on things that benefit ordinary people.
From Green Left Weekly, June 4, 2003.
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