UNPRECEDENTED !: Australian Senate Passed the Vote to Sack Queen Elizabeth II's Representative in Australia

Peter Hollingworth

It is the first time in the 102 years of Australian history, when one of the two legislative chambers voted for the resignation or sacking of the Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth.

The motion went ahead after two days of debate, with the Government aware the Labour Opposition with support of the Democrats and the Greens would carry the day. The Senate is one of the two Houses of Parliament, the other is the House of Representatives.

The Governor-General is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, known as Queen of Australia, i.e. the Australian Head of State.The position holds considerable constitutional powers, including the ability to dismiss parliament and call fresh elections. As a constitutional convention, however, in practice the governor-general acts only on the advice of his elected minister. His role is traditionally a ceremonial and non-partisan one.

Since his appointment as the Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth, a former Anglican Archbishop, had been facing allegations for failing to act over a series of sex abuse claims when he was the Archbishop for the Diocese of Brisbane in the 1990s.

In May 2003, an Anglican church report concluded that he had made a "grave error of judgment" by allowing a known paedophile to continue working as a priest.

The scandal that led to his decision to stand aside as the Governor-General was when he was forced to defend himself against claims of an alleged rape dating back to the 1960s by a woman who committed suicide about a month ago.

Hollingworth took the unusual step to appear before national television to make a personal statement to deny the rape charges

Mike Seccombe and Greg Roberts reported for Sydney Morning Herald:

The Senate motion mentioned Hollingworth as "not a person suitable to hold the office of governor-general." And that he was both "unable to fulfil his symbolic role as a figure of unity for the Australian people" and "no longer able to exercise the constitutional powers of his office in a manner that will be seen as impartial and non-partisan".

The motion also called for a national royal commission into child sexual abuse. But Prime Minister John Howard had said no to any royal commission enquiry.

Labor Senate Leader John Faulkner, who sponsored the motion, said Dr Hollingworth had brought discredit to "an office that should be above controversy and above reproach". "His actions, as Archbishop of Brisbane and a Governor-General, have brought the high office of Governor-General into disrepute," Senator Faulkner said. Senator Faulkner also said Dr Hollingworth should resign and if he did not the Prime Minister "had no alternative but to remove him".

The Governor-General now does not have the support of one of the two houses of Parliament. The Senate does not have the power to ask the Queen to act on its motion.

The Governor of Tasmania, Sir Guy Green has been sworn in as the administrator of the Commonwealth, ( as the Acting Governor General). Sir Guy was sworn in by High Court justice Dyson Heydon in a ceremony in Canberra.

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