Anthony Albanese takes easy and safe option in appointing Sam Mostyn as governor-general

Incoming governor-general Sam Mostyn and Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Wednesday. Picture: AAP

Anthony Albanese has taken the easy and safe option in appointing former Labor staffer, close friend and go-to government taskforce appointee Sam Mostyn as Australia’s next governor-general.

After the Prime Minister’s Indigenous voice referendum was rejected by 60 per cent of Australians in October last year, Albanese’s dream of appointing a First Nations leader as G-G fell away.

There will be speculation about whether Mostyn – a trailblazer for women in corporate Australia who boasts an impressive private and public sector CV – was Albanese’s first pick for the vice-regal post.

Mostyn, who after the 2022 election was tapped by Albanese to chair the government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce and join the Climate Change Authority board, was the first female AFL commissioner and played an integral role in establishing the AFLW.

The former Chief Executive Women president was an inaugural board member of Climateworks Australia, chair of women’s climate action group 1 Million Women, Aware Super, the Australian Museum and Carriageworks, and sat on the boards of Mirvac, Reconciliation Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney Swans and Transurban.

Senior ALP and Coalition figures on Wednesday were surprised by Albanese’s pick. While Mostyn has an impressive corporate resume, her appointment is being viewed as one of the more political in recent history.

“This is the most political pick for G-G in a long time,” a Coalition frontbencher said.

Mostyn, a former communications and policy adviser to Paul Keating who worked for Labor ministers Bob Collins and Michael Lee, attended Albanese’s 2022 election victory party at the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL. Speaking at a business lunch hosted by The Australian last year, Mostyn ruled-out nuclear power as a medium-term option for the country’s energy mix.

Alternative options floated as potential governor-general appointments – some of whom Albanese would have considered – included Kim Beazley, Julia Gillard, Linda Burney, Tom Calma, Ken Wyatt, Susan Kiefel and Glyn Davis.

Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster on Wednesday described Mostyn as “an inspired choice to serve as governor-general”.

“Sam is someone that I’m sure Australians would choose as head of state if we had the choice, rather than asking for approval of a King. In fact, Sam would be a wonderful President of an Australian republic,” Foster said.

In an SMH profile on Foster last year titled “Why Craig Foster wants Australia to give King Charles the boot”, Mostyn and Albanese featured in a photograph with the former Socceroo packing food hampers at the Addison Road Community Centre.

Mostyn heaped praise on Foster, saying he isn’t an attention-seeker and was someone who will “be on the phone about the republic movement, then he’ll be talking to a minister about a refugee issue”.

Albanese had planned to hold a republic referendum in his second term if Labor won the 2025 election.

The Indigenous voice referendum defeat and deep voter concerns about cost-of-living pressures have put those plans on ice, despite Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite holding the republic portfolio as assistant minister.

Asked on Wednesday whether Mostyn could be Australia’s last governor-general, Albanese said: “I made it very clear that I had one referendum in mind … and that took place last year”.