Michael Jeffery

Major General Philip Michael Jeffery (born 12 December 1937) was the 24th Governor-General of Australia (2003–2008), the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general. He had previously served as Governor of Western Australia (1993–2000).

Early life and military career
Michael Jeffery was born in Wiluna, Western Australia and was educated at Kent Street Senior High School. At 16 he left Perth to attend the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra. After graduation in 1958, he served in a number of junior positions before being posted to Malaya in 1962 for operational service. From 1966 to 1969 he served in Papua New Guinea. During this posting, he married Marlena Kerr of Sydney, with whom he had three sons and a daughter. This was followed by a tour of duty in Vietnam during which he was awarded the Military Cross (MC). Jeffery remained convinced that Australia's participation in the Vietnam War was right. "I believe passionately that Vietnam was a just cause in the circumstances of the time", he said during a 2002 speech to Australian veterans of the war.

In 1972 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel to command the 2nd Battalion of the Pacific Islands Regiment. In 1975, he assumed command of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in Perth and was then promoted to colonel as the first Director of the Army's Special Action Forces from 7 January 1976 until 22 October 1977. He was instrumental in developing the surveillance concept for Northern Australia and as Director of Special Action Forces he prepared the development of the Australian counter-terrorist concept and capability.

From 1981 to 1983 he headed Australia's national counter-terrorist co-ordination authority. In 1985 he was promoted to major general and appointed to command the Army's 1st Division. In 1990 he became Deputy Chief of the General Staff and in 1991 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff for Materiel.

Although he retired from the army in 1993, he is still considered the Honorary Colonel of the SASR, where he holds the ceremonial role of inducting new soldiers into the regiment and presenting them with their famous sandy beret.

Governor of Western Australia
In November 1993 Jeffery was appointed Governor of Western Australia and in June 1996 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) on 1 April 2000.

During his seven years in the post he made a number of public statements of his conservative views on marriage, sex and education. He received some criticism from the Labor opposition and sections of the media for appearing to take positions on political issues.

On the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, for example, Jeffery said: "Baser instincts are titillated in the television displays of events like the Mardi Gras, where the colour and spectacle of fancy dress camouflages a public display of simulated homosexual activity and the degradation of traditional religions in the name of humour."

He also said: "A British study found a direct statistical link between single parenthood and virtually every type of major crime, including mugging, violence against strangers, car theft and burglary. And the same is true ... in Western Australia."

Governor-General of Australia
Following the resignation of Peter Hollingworth as governor-general, the prime minister, John Howard, announced on 22 June 2003 that he had chosen Jeffery to succeed Hollingworth. He was formally appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and sworn in on 11 August 2003, becoming the first Australian soldier to become governor-general.

Jeffery's appointment was generally welcomed, although there was some critical comment about the appointment of another Anglo-Australian male to the post and also some comment about his conservative views. A journalist wrote in The Australian: "Jeffery is Howard's perfect Governor-General. The ex-soldier is deeply conservative, steeped in the military and strong on traditional family values."

Jeffery made no apologies for his outspokenness and commented that: "I think I will be able to talk on issues and principles and values and standards quite comfortably as Governor-General." While in office, however, he kept a very low profile. Some journalists speculated that he had been advised to do so by Howard. Only 14 per cent of people interviewed for a newspaper survey in August 2006 recognised his photograph.

In 2007, in his position as governor-general, Jeffery was appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, succeeding the previous Colonel-in-Chief, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It is expected that future governors-general will serve in this position.

Jeffery was the Chief Scout of Australia. Historically the Governor-General of Australia has also served as Chief Scout of Australia; the Chief Scout is nominated by the Scouting Association's National Executive Committee and is invited by the President of the Scout Association to accept the appointment. Jeffery was an active Chief Scout.

Jeffery left Yarralumla prior to the swearing-in of his successor, Quentin Bryce, the former Governor of Queensland. Bryce was sworn in on 5 September 2008.

Honours










Unit Award:


 * Patron of Engineers Australia (HonFIEAust)
 * Patron of Australian Family Association
 * Patron of Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
 * Honorary Colonel of the SASR

Images of General Jeffery with medals: 11 April 2008, 2008

Image of General Jeffery in uniform with ribbons: 27 August 2008