Republican pledges allegiance to King as Victorian Governor

Former Monash University vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner has pledged her allegiance to King Charles III and been inaugurated as Victoria’s 30th Governor.

Victoria’s new Governor, Margaret Gardner, with Premier Daniel Andrews at Parliament House in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Former Monash University vice-chancellor and proud republican Margaret Gardner has pledged her allegiance to King Charles III and been inaugurated as Victoria’s 30th Governor.

Her Excellency was welcomed to the role by Premier Daniel ­Andrews, and sworn in at an ­inauguration ceremony at state parliament on Wednesday, where she was supported by her husband, Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet secretary and former University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn Davis.

Asked how her new role fitted with her republican views, Professor Gardner deferred to protocol. “I have been made Governor in a constitutional monarchy and there are protocols in terms of ­engagement with the King, and they’ll be followed appropriately,” she said.

“But I’m most looking forward to … the ability to in Victoria, go about and get a deeper understanding of the many people and the great diversity that makes up Victoria, and to listen to how they understand their place, their hopes, their futures … giving people an opportunity to be heard, and to voice their wishes and aspirations for the future.”

When she was announced in June as Mr Andrews’ pick to replace 29th governor Linda Dessau, Professor Gardner declared that “Indigenous sovereignty” in the state in which she now represents Charles III as king and sovereign was “never ceded”.

Asked how she felt about being the British sovereign’s representative as someone who believes “Indigenous sovereignty” was never ceded, Professor Gardner said: “I believe that the role of governor, as I said, is to engage with all the people in Victoria, and that includes the First Peoples who were here and had been here for many, many hundreds of years at the point of colonisation, and those people have their engagement with the government of ­Victoria and the governments in Australia, and they also have a voice that needs to be heard.”

Asked whether she was expressing support for an Indigenous voice to federal parliament, she said: “I was making the broad statement that all the peoples, all the peoples of Victoria, have voices that need to be heard. That is the fundamental underpinning of a democracy, and the question is how best to do that.”

The Premier said Professor Gardner’s inauguration represented the first time a governor of Victoria had been sworn in with representatives of the state’s First People’s Assembly present.

“To have the Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg there as the co chairs, it’s the first time that’s ever happened, and it speaks to the fact that Victorians know and understand how important it is that everybody is listened to when it comes to Aboriginal people and their hopes and aspirations, and the many challenges Aboriginal people face. Their voice is a very important part of that,” Mr Andrews said.

Professor Gardner admitted to having felt nervous during the ceremony. “I think one would be an unusual person, if you weren’t, well, if you didn’t feel nervousness,” she said.

Mr Andrews said it was an “honour and privilege” to welcome her to the role.

He also thanked Ms Dessau for her eight years as governor, saying he understood the 70-year-old former jurist and barrister was planning to take a break and travel to Europe before considering her next career move.