Honouring Governor-General Hurley

Media release
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP
Prime Minister of Australia

The Australian Government thanks His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC CVO DSC (Retd) for his service as Australia's 27th Governor-General.

The Governor-General and Mrs Linda Hurley have carried out their duties with outstanding dedication, working tirelessly to celebrate the good in our community.

On behalf of the people of Australia, the Australian Government will provide a national contribution of $10,000 to Dementia Australia in honour of His Excellency’s service. Dementia Australia supports people living with dementia, their families and carers.

The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley have prioritised spending time with Australians in need - visiting disaster affected communities more than 110 times during the term and holding more than 3,600 official engagements.

The Governor-General’s term included some important historical moments - he led us in mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth The Second and celebrating her legacy. He also proclaimed the accession of His Majesty The King. Under his custodianship, the Order of Australia became more diverse than ever before - reaching gender parity for the first time in 2023.

His Excellency’s five-year term as Governor-General will conclude on 1 July 2024.

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“I’d like to thank the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley for the contribution they have made to Australia since 2019 and, indeed, across a lifetime of service.

"We know the Governor-General is a strong supporter of Dementia Australia, serving as Patron along with 237 other organisations.

“We wish Their Excellencies the very best for the next chapter of their lives together.”