Role of the Lieutenant-Governor
The Lieutenant-Governor acts as the Governor’s deputy, usually when the Governor is out of the State. In those circumstances, the Lieutenant-Governor deputises for the Governor in relation to limited functions.
The current Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria is Professor James Angus AO FAA FAHMS (Hon) BSc, PhD (U Syd), who was sworn-in on 12 November 2021.
Historical Context of the Role
Originally, the Lieutenant-Governor had a legislative role with a seat on the first Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1824, of which the Colony of Victoria was part until 1851. On Victoria’s separation from New South Wales, Charles La Trobe became the first Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria. Once Victoria obtained responsible government in 1855, the title of the then Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Charles Hotham, became the (first) Governor of Victoria.
The Powers and Functions of the Lieutenant-Governor
The powers and functions of the Lieutenant-Governor are set out in the Victorian Constitution Act 1975.
Section 6A provides that there shall be a Lieutenant-Governor and an Administrator of the State. The Governor may appoint a person as Lieutenant-Governor. The Administrator is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court unless there is a vacancy in the office or the Chief Justice is unavailable. If there is a vacancy or the Chief Justice is unavailable, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court who is present and willing shall be the Administrator.
Where the Lieutenant-Governor is unavailable during the absence of the Governor or is incapacitated while holding that office, an Administrator may act as the Governor’s deputy or assume the administration of the State.
Section 6B(1) provides that the Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator shall assume the administration of the government of the State if there is a vacancy in the office of Governor, the Governor is acting as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth or the Governor is absent or unwilling to act.
About the Lieutenant-Governor
Professor James Angus AO FAA FAHMS (Hon) BSc, PhD (U Syd)
Professor James Angus AO was sworn-in as Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria on 12 November 2021.
The Lieutenant-Governor has had a distinguished career as an academic and biomedical researcher, particularly in the fields of pharmacology and cardiovascular disease. He earned a Bachelor of Science in pharmacology with Honours and a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney.
He was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne from 2003-2013 and was a NHMRC Senior Research Officer at the Baker Medical Research Institute, Hallstrom Institute of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Department of Medicine at the University of Sydney.
The Lieutenant-Governor is currently a Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Chair of the Campus Council at The Children’s, Chair of the Australian Advisory Council on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis, Director of The Jack Brockhoff Foundation, Director of Science Australia Gender Equity Ltd and a Director of National Stem Cell Australia Foundation. He was previously Honorary Secretary of the Victorian Rhodes Scholarship Committee and in 2023, was appointed as the inaugural Chair of the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics.
In 2003 the Lieutenant-Governor was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to pharmacology and the community. In 2010 he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished services to biomedical research, particularly in the fields of pharmacology and cardiovascular disease, as a leading academic and medical educator, and as a contributor to a range of advisory boards and professional organisations both nationally and internationally.
The Lieutenant-Governor acts as the Governor’s deputy, usually when the Governor is out of the State. In those circumstances, the Lieutenant-Governor deputises for the Governor in relation to limited functions.