The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n state of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
of the
Monarch of Australia
The monarchy of Australia is Australia's form of government embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of Parliamentary system, parliamentary ...
, currently King
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
. The incumbent governor is
Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The
official residence
An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...
of the governor is
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries.
Gover ...
located at the
Queens Domain in
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
. As the sovereign predominantly lives outside Tasmania, the governor's primary task is to perform the sovereign's constitutional duties on their behalf.
As with the other
state governors, the governor performs similar constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the
governor-general of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.[Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...](_blank)
. The territory was separated from the
Colony of New South Wales
The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...
in 1825 and the title "governor" was used from 1855, the same year in which it adopted its current name. In accordance with the conventions of the
Westminster system of parliamentary government, the governor now acts solely on the
advice of the head of the elected government, the
premier of Tasmania
The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Ta ...
.
Tasmania retained British-born governors longer than most other states. The first Australian-born governor was
Sir Stanley Burbury (appointed 1973) and the first Tasmanian-born governor was
Sir Guy Green (appointed 1995). Since Burbury, all Tasmanian governors have been Australian-born, except for
Peter Underwood who was born in Britain but emigrated to Australia when a teenager.
Titles
Since December 2014, the incumbent and all future Tasmanian governors have been entitled to be styled as
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
for life.
Governor's personal flag
The personal flag of the governor of Tasmania is the same design as the British
blue ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or Defacement (flag), defaced with a Heraldic badge, ...
with the
Union Flag at the upper left quarter. On the right side, the state badge of Tasmania, consisting of a white disk with a red lion passant, is surmounted by
St. Edward's Crown. The flag was adopted in 1977.
If the standard is flying at Government House, on a vehicle or vessel, or at an event, this indicates that the governor is present.
;Past and present flags of the governor
File: Flag of the Governor of Tasmania (1875–1876).svg , 1875–1876
File: Flag of the Governor of Tasmania (1876–1977).svg, 1876–1977
File: Flag of the Governor of Tasmania.svg, 1977–present
Divided in two
Between 1804 and 1813,
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
was divided along the 42nd parallel, and the two sections governed as separate lieutenant-governorships under the
governor of New South Wales
The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...
.
Collins was the only officially appointed lieutenant-governor—upon his death in 1810, the government in Hobart Town was administered, by the Commandants at Hobart Town (Lord, Murray and Geils). The northern settlement at Port Dalrymple (now
George Town) was administered by four commandants until the settlements were merged to form the single colony under the governorship of
Thomas Davey in 1813.
[Widowson, Henry: ''Present State of Van Diemen's Land'', 1829.]
Lieutenant-governors and commandants in the south
Commandants in the north
List of governors of Tasmania
Lieutenant-governors
The colony was called
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
until 1856.
Governor-in-chief
Governors
References
Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Tasmania
{{Government of Tasmania
*
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
Parliament of Tasmania
Governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...