Kim Beazley appointed new WA governor

Kim Beazley says he will resign as an advisor to the Republican Movement after he was appointed WA’s new governor.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley has been appointed the new governor of Western Australia. Picture: Gary Ramage.

Former federal Labor leader Kim Beazley says he will resign as an advisor to the Australian Republican Movement after he was today named Western Australia’s next governor.

WA Premier Mark McGowan announced that Mr Beazley, his long-time friend and political mentor, would become the state’s 33rd governor on May 1, replacing Kerry Sanderson in the $450,000-a-year job.

Malcolm Turnbull congratulated Mr Beazley on the appointment, calling it a “great choice”.

Bill Shorten said Mr Beazley was “a proud Western Australian and a much-loved and greatly admired Australian, a person of profound intellect, boundless good-humour and tremendous decency”.

Quizzed about his strong support over decades for an Australian republic, Mr Beazley said he would resign from his ARM role and maintained he would be able to separate his republican ideals from his role as the Queen’s representative in WA.

“Twice the Australian people have had an opportunity to choose what sort of system that wanted, and they’ve decided they will leave the constitutional monarchy at the centre of it,” he said

“I’m not only a republican, I’m also a democrat. And I respect he democratic process.”

In December, Mr Beazley was named as a senior member of the advisory panel to the Australian Republic Movement alongside former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, former Nationals leader Tim Fischer and former Liberal Senate leader Robert Hill.

At the time he warned there was a “snowball’s chance in hell” of voters accepting a republic if they were unable to directly elect a president.

Mr Beazley, a former deputy prime minister and former Australian ambassador to Washington, said he was daunted by his appointment.

“It’s daunting, it’s overwhelming, which is I suppose an odd thing to say for someone who has been in public life for as long as I have,” he said.

“But I am finding this at least as heavy as any of the challenges that I’ve faced to this point.

Mr Beazley said the governor has “immense responsibilities and no power”.

But he flagged the possibility that he would play a higher profile role than previous governors by representing the state at events in Australia and overseas.

Kim Beazley says his appointment as WA governor is ‘daunting and overwhelming’. pic.twitter.com/JqRYhF5f8F

— Andrew Burrell (@AndrewBurrell7) April 3, 2018

Mr McGowan said the appointment of Mr Beazley had been approved by the Queen.

“Kim Beazley is a natural leader - a true asset to Western Australia and someone who will advocate in the best interests of our state,” he said

“Mr Beazley is a highly decorated Australian who is respected for his public service, and his important roles in international relations and to the community.

“His significant experience in defence and foreign affairs will be a valuable addition, as will his unparalleled international network that will assist in promoting Western Australia to the rest of the world.

Mr Beazley represented the WA seats of Brand and Swan in federal parliament for almost 30 years.

He served as a Special Minister of the State, Federal Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Federal Leader of the Labor Party and Federal Leader of the Opposition.

After retiring from politics in 2007, he was appointed a professor at the University of Western Australia and has since held several academic and diplomat roles including as Chancellor of the Australian National University.

In 2010, he was appointed Australian Ambassador to the US and held the role until 2016.