Farewell to the Governor-General
Thursday 5 June 2008

His Excellency, Major General Michael Jeffery has been both actor and witness to the dramas of Australian public life for the best part of half a century.

For Australia, the last 50 years has been a story full of drama and triumph and moments of national imagination.

And His Excellency has seen them all from close range.

As a soldier, he has served with distinction in Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea. And as a statesman, he has served as Governor of Western Australia, and most recently, of course, as Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

As a proud Australian, he has shown himself to have a natural and easy connection with the Australian people. He is an unmistakably Australian figure in an office that was once the preserve of a British elite.

A quick reading of the birthplaces of Australia’s early Governors-General reads like a travel guide to the United Kingdom – Twickenham, London, Kent, Fyfe, Windsor and Sandringham.

By contrast, the boy from Wiluna, Western Australia, stands as a man who knows where he comes from, and is proud of the country that produced him.

From the battlefields of Asia, to the reception rooms of Yarralumla – His Excellency has carried the name of Australia as a badge of honour – and it is our honour to salute his efforts as he leaves office.

The Governor-Generalship of Australia is in many ways a curious position. It carries with it all the majesty of the British Empire that is such a central part of Australia’s past. It is honoured in the Australian Constitution as the pre-eminent office in the Commonwealth of Australia.

Yet, in the 21st Century, its bearer must display vast reserves of tact, discretion and careful judgement in upholding this country’s democratic values.

And most important of all is the ability and the willingness to connect with the Australian people.

I’m told that Australia’s third Governor-General, Baron Henry Stafford Northcote, spoke with disdain of the ‘unsucculent diet of official addresses' that was expected of a Governor-General on his travels.

By contrast, His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffrey has found the diet not only succulent, but one which has enabled him to speak with passion and concern on issues that matter to all Australians – from the challenges of youth to the importance of remembering our fallen soldiers. His has been a consistent voice for compassion and community cohesion.

He has also been a regular visitor to Tasmania.

I know that just a few months ago he joined the 2007 Australians of the Year to watch the sunrise at Cradle Mountain, as a lead up to the 2008 Australia Day celebrations.

We salute his contribution to Australian public life.

On behalf of the Government and people of Tasmania, I say to Your Excellencies: You go with our gratitude for your service;

You go with our respect for the way you have conducted your office; and whatever the future holds, be assured that you will always find a warm welcome here whenever your footsteps carry you back to our island State.