Businesswoman, gender equality advocate and former AFL commissioner Sam Mostyn has been sworn in as Australia’s 28th governor-general.
Ms. Mostyn was sworn in at a ceremony in Canberra on July 1, becoming the second woman to take on the role.
The new governor-general was welcomed to Parliament House with military fanfare and an Indigenous smoking ceremony before being sworn in on the floor of the Senate by High Court Chief Justice Stephen Gageler.
Born the eldest of four sisters in Canberra to an army officer father, Ms. Mostyn began her professional life as a lawyer, working as an associate in the NSW Supreme Court of Appeal.
She briefly worked as a communications advisor to former prime minister Paul Keating in the 1990s before serving on the boards of companies such as Transurban, Virgin Australia and Citibank Australia.
In 2005, she was appointed as the first female commissioner of the AFL and was a driving force behind establishing the code’s women’s league.
She has also served on non-profit boards including the Climate Council, Beyond Blue and the Sydney Theatre Company and spent time leading the Women’s Economic Taskforce.
Ms. Mostyn was appointed to the position following the prime minister’s recommendation to King Charles.
Serving as the representative of the monarch in Australia, the governor-general usually serves a five-year term.
She has taken over from David Hurley, who was governor-general from 2019.
