Mike O’Connor: Ex-Archbishop of Brisbane Peter Hollingworth forced to resign as G-G but lives a millionaire’s lifestyle

Queenslanders struggling with the cost of living might be wondering why former governor-general Peter Hollingworth has been paid more than $7m in pension and expenses since he was sacked, writes Mike O’Connor.

Peter Hollingworth was forced to resign as governor-general when an Anglican Church inquiry found that as Archbishop of Brisbane he had allowed a known pedophile to remain a priest, a decision which it described as untenable.

While many of us wonder if we will have enough superannuation to enjoy a comfortable retirement, others do not need to bother.

If you knew when your number was going to come up – “Time’s up No. 2021.

Please join the queue to the hereafter” – it would make it easier but in the absence of such certainty we do the best we can while secretly searching Google for “average Australian life expectancy”.

One of the fortunate few who do not have to concern themselves with such irritations is Peter Hollingworth, the man who served as our governor-general for fewer than two years of a five-year term before being forced to resign in disgrace in 2003.

Since then, he has been drawing a yearly pension of $357,000 – almost $7000 a week – plus travel and office expenses meaning that since being effectively sacked, he has trousered more than $7m in public funds.

Former governor-general Dr Peter Hollingworth in 2003.

You might reckon that you could, with some careful budgeting, just about manage to get by on that but you’d be wrong for there is that small matter of expenses.

How much can a disgraced former governor- general spend on travel and office expenses? Quite a bit as it turns out, with documents released under Freedom of Information requests revealing that between 2016-17 and 2020-21, the former archbishop managed to run up charges that ranged from $286,712 to $315,538 a year, with his total expenses from 2016-17 to the end of last financial year costing the taxpayer more than $1.5m.

Dr Hollingworth was forced to resign as G-G when an Anglican Church inquiry found that as Archbishop of Brisbane he had allowed a known pedophile to remain a priest, a decision which it described as untenable.

A year earlier, Dr Hollingworth had falsely suggested one of the abuse victims had been the instigator of sex with disgraced Anglican minister Donald Shearman.

Greens senator David Shoebridge has introduced a Bill that would allow for allowances to be removed where an officeholder has engaged in misconduct. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

In 2017, a royal commission found that Dr Hollingworth had made a serious error of judgment when he had permitted a rector who confessed to child abuse to remain a minister

Last week, an Anglican Church tribunal which had progressed at a glacial pace for five years finally handed down its findings, saying that Dr Hollingworth had been guilty of widespread misconduct that included failing to provide care and support for two abuse victims and permitting a notorious offender to remain in ministry despite knowing he was a risk to children.

It said, however, that Dr Hollingworth would be permitted to perform local parish duties and take part in services at Melbourne’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

The report was dismissed as a whitewash by abuse advocates and victims who had been calling for him to be defrocked.

He will, however, be forced to apologise to some victims.

It is, surely, an outrage that a person who has been forced to resign from public office is rewarded with a millionaire’s lifestyle.

If you are struggling with cost-of-living increases and rising mortgage payments then you might wonder how this can be allowed to happen.

Peter Hollingworth was forced to resign as governor-general when an Anglican Church inquiry found that as Archbishop of Brisbane he had allowed a known pedophile to remain a priest, a decision which it described as untenable.

In his defence, Dr Hollingworth said: “I made mistakes and I cannot undo them.

“But I committed no crimes.

“There is no evidence that there was any abuse because of any decisions I made, or did not make.

“I had devoted my life to social justice, pastoral care and healing, but I had little experience in dealing with the child-abuse issues.

“Like other church leaders, I was unduly influenced by the advice of lawyers and insurance companies.”

The problem lies with the Governor-General Act 1974, which does not give the government the power to strip his entitlements.

To remedy this, Greens senator David Shoebridge has introduced a Bill that would allow for allowances to be removed where an officeholder has engaged in misconduct.

Greens senator Rachel Siewert introduced a similar Bill in 2019 but it lapsed because the major parties were not interested in supporting it.

It’s not often I find myself on the same side of an issue as the Greens but this is one.

The government, the Coalition and the crossbench have to support Senator Shoebridge’s Bill and progress it swiftly through parliament.

In the meantime, as an act of contrition, Dr Hollingworth might like to stop taking the money.

Editor’s note: The original version of this column contained a line stating with Dr Hollingworth’s death his widow would be entitled to five eighths of his pension for life. Dr Hollingworth’s wife died in April 2021. The Courier-Mail apologises for the error.