This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Government & democracy
The bill would let Australia stop paying post-office allowances to former Governors-General or their spouses if a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. engaged in serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour..
The Governor-General Act 1974The existing law that sets the allowance rules this bill would amend. left Australia paying former Governors-General allowances even if they were convicted of a serious crime. This bill lets a minister or either House stop retirement, spouse or associate payments in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments. when a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. engaged in serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour..
Under the Governor-General Act 1974The existing law that sets the allowance rules this bill would amend., former Governors-General kept receiving retirement and related allowances after leaving office, and the explanatory memorandum said there was no way to stop those payments even if a former office-holder was later convicted of a serious crime. After earlier controversy around Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. conduct and amid wider scrutiny of public entitlements, Senator David ShoebridgeThe senator who introduced the bill and argued for stopping allowances after serious misconduct. introduced the bill in March 2023 to let a minister or either House cut off those payments in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments. for serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour., but it lapsed when Parliament ended in July 2025.
The main reservation is procedural rather than about the policy goal: the bill gives a minister or either House broad discretion to cut a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change.’s allowances in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments. after serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour.. No significant public campaign against the proposal is recorded so far, and the available debate material shows support rather than sustained opposition.
Senator David ShoebridgeThe senator who introduced the bill and argued for stopping allowances after serious misconduct. introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Greens.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
868 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
The bill would let Australia stop paying post-office allowances to former Governors-General or their spouses if a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. engaged in serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour..
The bill would allow either a minister or either House of ParliamentThe Senate or the House of Representatives, either of which could pass a resolution to stop the payments. to trigger the loss of payments when stopping them is judged to be in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments..
The bill would cover retirement payments and payments to spouses or associates, so more than one kind of post-office benefit could be cut off.
The bill would treat serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour. broadly, including corruption, sexual misconduct, theft, fraud and other criminal behaviour, when deciding whether payments should stop.
A spouse of a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. would also lose eligibility for a payment after the former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. dies if the payments had already been stopped earlier.
The purpose of the Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) Bill 2023 is to create a power to stop paying allowances to former Governors-General, or their spouses, where they have engaged in serious misconduct.Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum
The Bill provides two avenues for ceasing to pay allowances when it is considered to be in the public interest. Firstly, the Minister may make a declaration through a legislative instrument that the former Governor-General, or a spouse of a former Governor-General, cease to be paid an allowance where the former Governor General has engaged in serious misconduct. Alternatively, a House of Parliament may pass a resolution declaring that the former Governor-General, or a spouse of the former Governor-General, cease to be paid an allowance where the former Governor- General has engaged in serious misconduct.Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum
6. This item inserts new section 4AGA in the Governor-General Act 1974 which provides that payment of a standard allowance may be ceased if it is in the public interest to do so. A standard allowance means a retirement allowance, a spouse allowance or an associate allowance.Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum
9. Subsection 4AGB(1) provides that the Minister may make a declaration that a former Governor-General, or the spouse of a former Governor-General, cease to be paid a standard allowance if the Minster is satisfied that a former Governor-General had engaged in serious misconduct. For the purposes of this Bill, serious misconduct involves inappropriate, improper, wrong or unlawful conduct. Examples of serious misconduct could include corruption, sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, theft, fraud and other criminal behaviour.Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum
5. This item inserts new subsection 4(2A). This provides that a spouse is not eligible to receive an allowance under subsection 4(2) if a cessation event happened before the person’s death.Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum
Context
Under the Governor-General Act 1974The existing law that sets the allowance rules this bill would amend., former Governors-General kept receiving retirement and related allowances after leaving office, and the explanatory memorandum said there was no way to stop those payments even if a former office-holder was later convicted of a serious crime. After earlier controversy around Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. conduct and amid wider scrutiny of public entitlements, Senator David ShoebridgeThe senator who introduced the bill and argued for stopping allowances after serious misconduct. introduced the bill in March 2023 to let a minister or either House cut off those payments in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments. for serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour., but it lapsed when Parliament ended in July 2025.
Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. Act sets up post-office allowances without a cancellation power
The explanatory memorandum says the 1974 law created allowances for former Governors-General and left no provision to stop them if a recipient was later convicted of a serious crime.
Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum ↗Peter HollingworthA former Governor-General mentioned in the background as a past controversy that sharpened attention on accountability. controversy puts Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. accountability in focus
An AFR report said John Howard was defending outgoing Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. Peter HollingworthA former Governor-General mentioned in the background as a past controversy that sharpened attention on accountability. over his handling of child sexual abuse allegations, keeping the question of consequences for misconduct in the vice-regal office in public view.
Australian Financial Review ↗Bill introduced to let Australia stop payments after serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour.
Senator ShoebridgeThe senator who introduced the bill and argued for stopping allowances after serious misconduct. introduced the bill and said a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change. could otherwise keep receiving up to $600,000 a year in entitlements even if jailed or proven to have committed very serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour..
Hansard ↗Parliament begins debate on ministerial or House power to cut off allowances
The explanatory memorandum said the bill would allow either a minister, by legislative instrumentA form of delegated law or official declaration made by a minister that can be tabled and disallowed by Parliament., or either House of ParliamentThe Senate or the House of Representatives, either of which could pass a resolution to stop the payments., by resolution, to end allowances where serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour. made continued payments contrary to the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments..
Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) explanatory memorandum ↗Bill lapses at the end of Parliament
The parliamentary bills page records that the measure lapsed when the Parliament ended, so the proposed power to stop former Governors-General's allowances was not enacted.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Referred to Committee (09/03/2023): Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee; Committee report (31/07/2023)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main reservation is procedural rather than about the policy goal: the bill gives a minister or either House broad discretion to cut a former Governor-GeneralAustralia's representative of the King, whose post-office allowances are the payments this bill would change.’s allowances in the public interestThe decision standard the bill uses to justify ending the payments. after serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour.. No significant public campaign against the proposal is recorded so far, and the available debate material shows support rather than sustained opposition.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Shoebridge supports the bill and argues it is needed so former Governors-General can lose generous lifetime allowances if they have engaged in serious misconductThe broad wrongdoing test used to decide whether the allowances can be stopped, including corruption, fraud, sexual misconduct and other criminal behaviour..
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“I ask for your support for this bill so that we can take this modest but meaningful step towards justice for survivors of sexual abuse.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Lapsed at end of Parliament
Lapsed at end of Parliament
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee; Committee report (31/07/2023)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (9 Mar 2023): Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee; Committee report (31 July 2023)
APH bill page notes