What power does the Governor-General have?
Most of the Governor-General’s powers are set out in the Australian Constitution. The Governor-General is not involved in daily political matters. By being politically neutral, the Governor-General works with whichever party or parties are in government. The Governor-General acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister and ministers, with rare exceptions. The Governor-General has the power to: • sign bills passed by parliament (called royal assent). The Constitution, however, gives the Governor-General the option of not signing a bill • approve appointments of senior judges and other officials • dissolve the Parliament when a federal election is forthcoming • sign regulations and many actions which ministers must carry out.
