Governor of South Australia

Governor of South Australia
Badge of the governor
Flag of the governor since 2024
Incumbent Richard Harris (acting) since 6 October 2026
Vice Regal
Style	Her Excellency The Honourable
Residence	Government House
Seat	Adelaide
Appointer	Monarch on the advice of the premier
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure (usually 5 years by convention)
Constituting instrument	Letters Patent of 29 October 1900
Formation	28 December 1836
First holder	Captain John Hindmarsh
Salary	$530,080 (since February 2026)
Website	governor.sa.gov.au

The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Australia at the national level. In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of parliamentary government, the governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the premier of South Australia. Nevertheless, the governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the premier.

The current governor is Richard Harris who is serving as Administrator of the Government of the State of South Australia, following the retirement of Frances Adamson.

The new governor, Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens, will be sworn in on 9 December 2026.

The governor's official residence is Government House, in Adelaide, the state's capital.

History

The first six governors oversaw the Colony of South Australia from proclamation in 1836, until self-government and an elected Parliament of South Australia was granted in the year prior to the inaugural 1857 election.

The first Australian-born governor of South Australia was Major-General Sir James Harrison (appointed 1968), and most subsequent governors have been Australian-born. The first South Australian-born governor was Sir Mark Oliphant (appointed 1971), and the first Aboriginal governor was Sir Douglas Nicholls (appointed 1976). The first female governor was Dame Roma Mitchell, appointed in 1991.

From June 2014 onwards, Queen Elizabeth II, upon the recommendation of the premier, accorded all current, future, and living former governors the title "The Honourable" for life.

Current holder

The current governor is diplomat Frances Adamson, who was sworn in at Government House, Adelaide on 7 October 2021. The new governor, Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens, will be sworn in on 9 December 2026.

Role

Prior to self-government, the governor was responsible to the Government of the United Kingdom and was charged with implementing laws and policy. Currently, the governor is responsible for safeguarding the South Australian Constitution and facilitating the work of the Parliament and state government.

The governor exercises power on the advice of ministers, conveyed through the Executive Council. Constitutional powers bestowed upon the governor and used with the consent and advice of the Executive Council include:

• to appoint and dismiss ministers.
• exercising the prerogative of mercy.
• issuing regulations and proclamations under existing laws.
• giving royal assent to bills passed by Parliament.
• appointing judges, royal commissioners and senior public servants.
• dissolving Parliament and issuing writs for elections.

The governor additionally maintains 'reserve powers' which can be used without the consent of the Executive Council. These powers relate to the appointment and dismissal of ministers and Parliament.

Although not a responsibility of the office of Governor of South Australia, governors of South Australia are - like all Governors of the Australian states - normally given a dormant commission to administer the government of the Commonwealth of Australia in the absence from Australia, or the death, incapacity or removal from office of the Governor-General by the Sovereign. Some South Australian governors are also appointed as a Deputy of the Governor-General to perform certain responsibilities of the Governor-General while the Governor-General is present in Australia, but unable to perform them personally.

Governor's standard

The governor standard of South Australia is the same design as the British blue ensign with the Union Flag at the upper left quarter. On the right side, the State Badge of South Australia, comprising a piping shrike in a golden disc, is surmounted by a crown. In 2024, this representation changed from a St Edward's Crown to a Tudor Crown.

If the standard is flying at Government House, on a vehicle or at an event, this indicates that the governor is present.

Past and present standards of the governor

• 
  1870–1876
• 
  1876–1904
• 
  1904–1975
• 
  1975–2024
• 
  2024–present

Governor's awards and commendations

List of governors of South Australia

No.	Portrait	Governor	Prior career	Term begin	Term end	Time in office
Governor appointed by King William IV (1830–1837):
1		Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh	Navy	28 December 1836	16 July 1838	1 year, 200 days
Governors appointed by Queen Victoria (1837–1901):
2		Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler	Army	17 October 1838	15 May 1841	2 years, 210 days
3		Sir George Grey	Army	15 May 1841	25 October 1845	4 years, 163 days
4		Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Holt Robe	Army	25 October 1845	2 August 1848	2 years, 282 days
5		Sir Henry Fox Young	Colonial administrator in the Caribbean	2 August 1848	20 December 1854	6 years, 140 days
6		Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell	Lawyer, judge and Governor of Gambia	8 June 1855	4 March 1862	6 years, 269 days
7		Sir Dominick Daly	Colonial administrator and Governor in the Caribbean and Canada	4 March 1862	19 February 1868	5 years, 352 days
8		Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet	Army, conservative politician, administrator	16 February 1869	18 April 1873	4 years, 61 days
9		Sir Anthony Musgrave	Colonial administrator and governor in Canada, the Caribbean and South Africa	9 June 1873	29 January 1877	3 years, 234 days
10		Lieutenant-General Sir William Jervois	Army engineer and planner of fortifications	2 October 1877	9 January 1883	5 years, 99 days
11		Sir William Robinson	President of Montserrat, colonial Governor in the Caribbean, Canada, Falkland Islands and Western Australia	19 February 1883	5 March 1889	6 years, 14 days
12		Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore	Politician, Grand Master Freemason	11 April 1889	10 April 1895	5 years, 364 days
13		Sir Fowell Buxton, 3rd Baronet	Army, politician	29 October 1895	29 March 1899	3 years, 151 days
14		Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson	Imperialist aristocrat	10 April 1899	17 July 1902	3 years, 98 days
Governors appointed by King Edward VII (1901–1910):
15		Sir George Le Hunte	President of Dominica, colonial administrator in the Caribbean, New Guinea and Mauritius	1 July 1903	18 February 1909	5 years, 232 days
16		Admiral Sir Day Bosanquet	Navy, Commander-in-Chief at several colonial postings	18 February 1909	22 March 1914	5 years, 32 days
Governors appointed by King George V (1910–1936):
17		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Galway		18 April 1914	30 April 1920	6 years, 12 days
18		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Archibald Weigall		9 June 1920	30 May 1922	1 year, 355 days
19		Lieutenant-General Sir Tom Bridges		4 December 1922	4 December 1927	5 years, 0 days
20		Brigadier Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven		14 May 1928	26 April 1934	5 years, 347 days
21		Major-General Sir Winston Dugan		28 July 1934	23 February 1939	4 years, 210 days
Governors appointed by King George VI (1936–1952):
22		Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey		12 August 1939	26 April 1944	4 years, 258 days
23		Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Norrie		19 December 1944	19 June 1952	7 years, 183 days
Governors appointed by Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022):
24		Air Vice-Marshal Sir Robert George	Airforce	23 February 1953	7 March 1960	7 years, 13 days
25		Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan	Army	4 April 1961	1 June 1968	7 years, 58 days
26		Major General Sir James Harrison	Army, first Australian-born to become Governor of South Australia	4 December 1968	16 September 1971	2 years, 286 days
27		Professor Sir Mark Oliphant	Research physicist, contributor to the development of nuclear weapons	1 December 1971	30 November 1976	4 years, 365 days
28		Sir Douglas Nicholls	Athlete, minister and social worker	1 December 1976	30 April 1977	150 days
29		Reverend Sir Keith Seaman	Methodist and Uniting Church minister	1 September 1977	28 March 1982	4 years, 208 days
30		Lieutenant General Sir Donald Dunstan	Australian Army officer	23 April 1982	5 February 1991	8 years, 288 days
31		Dame Roma Mitchell	Lawyer, judge, university chancellor	6 February 1991	21 July 1996	5 years, 166 days
32		Sir Eric Neal	Engineer, businessman	22 July 1996	3 November 2001	5 years, 104 days
33		Marjorie Jackson-Nelson	Olympic athlete, sports administrator	3 November 2001	31 July 2007	5 years, 242 days
34		Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce	Navy	8 August 2007	7 August 2014	6 years, 364 days
35		Hieu Van Le	Accountant, businessman, refugee	1 September 2014	31 August 2021	6 years, 364 days
36		Frances Adamson	Diplomat (DFAT)	7 October 2021	6 October 2026	5 years, 62 days
(acting)		Richard Harris	Doctor	6 October 2026	Acting
37		Grant Stevens	Police Commissioner	9 December 2026	Designate

Administrators and Lieutenant Governors

These people administered the government in the absence of the official governor.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of South Australia.

• The Official Website of the Governor of South Australia
• Previous governors on official website

References