\u201cWhere I see the most woeful lack of understanding \u2026 the basic understanding of the tenets of our democracy, is in the adult population,\u201d Mostyn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s mostly people who attack our system, who say we shouldn\u2019t have a governor general, or who ask the governor general to do things that are not within my powers, or criticise me for signing the bills that I must sign, because they think I should have a view that clearly I do not have as governor general. Certain things I must do under my constitutional requirements.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a growing catastrophe, I think, in a failure to understand and engage with and feel proud of the very civic underpinnings of our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview for Guardian\u2019s Australian Politics podcast, released on Friday, Mostyn said schoolchildren and newly sworn Australian citizens had the best understanding of how government and institutions worked.<\/p>\n The comments come as parliaments, the courts, the Australian Electoral Commission and officeholders around the country face mounting criticism and abuse. Since the Covid pandemic<\/a>, social media and online commentary has been identified as hotbed of corrosive sentiment, coinciding with rising threats against officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt starts with understanding why we have a constitution, how it came to be,\u201d Mostyn said of a potential solution.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 125 years old this year. It was built in a particular way, to bring the states and territories together, in order to build a sense of unity around the country, and it sets up everything that then builds the strength of our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Mostyn said part of the problem was an absence of \u201ca shared set of facts\u201d, including in online discourse.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a moment where it\u2019s important for everyone, particularly people like me, in these offices, to keep up the project of why it matters that we show respect for each other, we learn to understand each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a big risk that if we don\u2019t, this is the beginning of the unraveling of social cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n The former businesswoman, AFL commissioner, political adviser and community leader has prioritised civics engagement and education in the role, bringing a less formal and more down-to-earth approach to the office of governor general. When she was appointed to the role \u2013 traditionally filled by former politicians, judges and military leaders \u2013 Mostyn promised an unstinting focus<\/a> on kindness, on care and on respect.<\/p>\n Mostyn visiting Ahmed al-Ahmad in hospital, who disarmed a gunman during the Bondi Beach shooting. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Earlier this month, she hosted a roundtable on social cohesion and civics education with the Constitution Education Fund at her official residence in Canberra, Government House, attended by educators, public service leaders and thinktanks. Former high court chief justice Robert French is the fund\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n Mostyn warned the types of people considering seeking political office in Australia is changing, because of sustained abuse and threats against elected representatives at all levels.<\/p>\n She said local councillors and mayors had told her public life was becoming difficult and increasingly unappealing.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [have] shared with me that lack of civility in their own communities, as directed to them as elected representatives, has become very very challenging, making it very difficult to seek office.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you know that you\u2019re putting yourself into very dangerous traffic with people who now don\u2019t feel the need to be respectful, who make direct threats \u2026 we\u2019ve seen this all around the world with elected representatives at all levels.<\/p>\n \u201cThis desire to be hateful, to attack, to not enter into good, peaceful, robust but respectful discussions on things where we might not agree, and so that\u2019s happening certainly in local government.\u201d<\/p>\n Mostyn conducts the coin toss ahead of a netball match between Australia and Tonga at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Photograph: Joel Carrett\/AAP<\/p>\n Mostyn is the Crown\u2019s representative in Australia, presides over the executive council, gives royal assent to legislation from parliament, appoints ministers and officials, dissolves parliament for elections and is the commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force.<\/p>\n She holds the reserve powers of the constitution and attends and hosts hundreds of events every year, including for the Order of Australia.<\/p>\n In the past two years, Mostyn has used a growing social media presence to educate the public about the function of the governor general, and has conducted dozens of interviews, including with local media outlets when visiting far-flung communities.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | When needed<\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n After the Bondi beach terror attack in December last year, Mostyn immediately flew to Sydney to comfort victims and members of Australia\u2019s Jewish community. At the height of the Socceroos World Cup campaign last month, she attended a Canberra pub to watch Australia play Paraguay in the middle of the day.<\/p>\n Speaking at Admiralty House, the governor general\u2019s residence on Sydney Harbour, Mostyn revealed she had followed precedent from recent governors general and asked the Electoral Commissioner for an exemption from compulsory voting, preferring to be as removed as possible from political matters.<\/p>\n Her appointment to the role was not without controversy.<\/p>\n The Greens voted against legislation put to parliament to ensure Mostyn was paid the same amount as her predecessor<\/a>. Gen David Hurley took a lower base salary due to his military pension<\/a>.<\/p>\n Commentators criticised Mostyn\u2019s qualifications and said her high-profile positions on several issues including the voice to parliament referendum should have disqualified her from being appointed. One newspaper column called her \u201ca governor-general from the Chairman\u2019s Lounge\u201d.<\/p>\n Sam Mostyn shakes hands with Anthony Albanese during the swearing in ceremony in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n But Mostyn has confounded some critics in her first two years on the job.<\/p>\n In May, Chris Kenny, a columnist with The Australian newspaper lamented that too few commentators were ever prepared to admit when they were wrong about matters in public debate, acknowledging he had been mistaken in editorialising against Mostyn\u2019s appointment on Sky News.<\/p>\n![\"Governor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785451931_718_1920.jpg\")
Governor general takes the plunge in first Big Freeze since Neale Daniher\u2019s death \u2013 video<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2998.jpg\")
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