Voice architect Tom Calma leads call for Australia’s first Indigenous governor-general
Tom Calma has backed in the appointment of an Indigenous governor-general, with David Hurley due to wind up his five-year term this year.
One of the nation’s most respected Indigenous rights campaigners, Tom Calma, has backed in the appointment of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to be the next governor-general, with the King’s current representative – David Hurley – due to wind up his five-year term by the middle of this year.
Professor Calma – one of the co-architects of the Indigenous voice to parliament which was comprehensively defeated at last year’s referendum – acknowledged suggestions he could be in the running for the role but did not put himself forward or deny interest in the job, saying any decision would be for the government.
With the wide expectation that General Hurley’s term will not be extended beyond July, leading political academic John Wanna said it was likely Anthony Albanese had already sent his shortlist of preferred vice-regal candidates to Buckingham Palace.
Professor’s Calma’s endorsement of a qualified and capable Indigenous person as governor-general of Australia was supported by other prominent Aboriginal Australians, including Referendum Working Group member and leading voice campaigner Thomas Mayo.
Labor MPs, including Tiwi woman Marion Scrymgour in the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari and Graham Perrett in the Brisbane seat of Moreton, also supported the idea of an Indigenous Australian being appointed governor-general as a step forward for the nation.
In the mid-1990s, Aboriginal campaigner and inaugural chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Lowitja O’Donoghue was discussed as a contender for the role, but prime minister Paul Keating opted to appoint Sir William Deane.
Professor Calma, the 2023 senior Australian of the year and former race discrimination commissioner, told The Australian on Sunday: “I would think it is time for an Aboriginal person.
“We’ve had an Aboriginal governor (of South Australia) in pastor Doug Nicholls. But there hasn’t been an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person as governor-general. So why not?
“I think it is time. We shouldn’t shy away from considering an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person. A person who is amply qualified to do the job on merit is what we would be looking for,” he said. “Not a token appointment. Someone who has the capacity.”
Asked if he would be interested in the role, Professor Calma – a co-architect of the voice with Marcia Langton – said he hadn’t “really given it any thought” but acknowledged people had suggested he was a viable option.
“I know that has been suggested,” he said. “People have said (that) to me. But that’s up to the government to determine. They will do it through whatever process they use.”
Professor Calma also noted that Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney has been raised as a potential governor-general.
Mr Mayo told The Australian that the appointment of an Indigenous Australian as governor-general could give great pride to the country. “We all know and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have made significant contributions in Australian society,” Mr Mayo said. “If the appointment is one such person, with a great work ethic and excellent statesmanship, I’m sure many Australians would be as proud as I would be to see a well overdue first.”
Ms Scrymgour told The Australian: “I think it would be great to have an Indigenous governor-general.” She also said she thought a woman would also be a great choice, saying former governor-general Quentin Bryce “did the job really well” and showed “class, intellect and sophistication”.
She was unsure whether former prime minister Julia Gillard would be interested in the job.
Mr Perrett told The Australian it was time for an Indigenous Australian to take on the role of governor-general and hoped it could also be a Queenslander. He suggested a number of Queensland sporting heroes.
“I think Cathy Freeman is a good start or Johnathan Thurston … and Ash Barty,” he said.
Professor Wanna, from the Australian National University, said the choice of governor-general was “Albanese’s decision”.
“He takes the decision to cabinet … gets it approved and they write to the King. They have to write six months before the announcement,” Professor Wanna said. “(King) Charles may already know who has been nominated … I suspect that letter’s gone.”
Professor Wanna said he thought a leading candidate for the job of governor-general was the current Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Glyn Davis, whose wife, Margaret Gardner, is the Governor of Victoria. He suggested another safe appointment could be someone who has served on the High Court. One name mentioned in speculation has been ex-chief justice Susan Kiefel.
But Professor Wanna also argued that Mr Albanese may view a strong case for an Indigenous appointment following the failure of the voice referendum in 2023.
“I think it’s feasible with the voice referendum, which he stuffed up, that he will angle for it,” Professor Wanna said. “He will try and say we ought to, this could be the right time. It will set the agenda for that kind of appointment.”
However, he warned that appointing people linked too closely with the political campaign for the voice – such as Professor Langton, Megan Davis or even current Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney – would be “quite contentious”, Professor Wanna identified Professor Calma as a “pretty ideal candidate”.
“He’s very good on issues. He was part of the voice movement. But he didn’t play a prominent political role. That would not be contentious,” he said.
Professor Calma co-authored the July 2021 final report to the government on the design process for the voice along with Professor Langton, but argued over the weekend that reconciliation efforts in Australia were not dead and that race relations had not been irretrievably damaged because of the referendum result.
Leading Indigenous figure and key campaigner for the No campaign Warren Mundine said the priority should be for the government to appoint someone “able to do the job” and who could work with both sides of politics. “They are the ones who have got to be bipartisan with everyone,” he said. “And they are about uniting the country.”
However, Mr Mundine also said he would welcome an Indigenous Australian being appointed to the role. “As an Aboriginal person, I think that would be nice,” he said.
“I don’t want it to be a political choice. I think we need to get the person to do the job and bring the country together. We’ve just been through over 12 months of division and fighting.”
Australian Monarchist League chair Eric Abetz said any replacement would “need to be the best possible person for the job”.
“It’s got to be based on merit and not on shallow symbolism,” he said.
“My view is that we need to get beyond identity politics, whether it’s a male or female, Indigenous, white, Australian born or indeed an immigrant,” he said.
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