Mother of five named new Governor-General

Quentin Bryce with PM Kevin Rudd. Pic by: Ray Strange

Australia's first female Governor-General says her appointment sends a message to all girls: "You can do anything, you can be anything.''

Queensland Governor Quentin Bryce, who will take up her new role in September, said yesterday her appointment also shows those from the tiniest bush towns can go on to hold the nation's highest office.

Calling her appointment a "great day for Australian women'', Ms Bryce added: "I grew up in a little bush town in Queensland of 200 people, and what this day says to Australian women and to Australian girls is you can do anything, you can be anything.''

It's taken more than a century, and 25 appointments, for a woman to be given the role of Governor-General.

But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Ms Bryce's appointment "captures the spirit of modern Australia''.

"It has taken us 107 years, it's been a while, it's good that it's happened,'' said Mr Rudd, who is believed to have discussed the appointment of Ms Bryce with the Queen when he met her last week.

He refused to be drawn on whether Ms Bryce might be our last Governor-General.
The Government's commitment to a republic was "clear cut'', however a move to a republic was "not a top order question'', Mr Rudd said.

And he joked that as he settled into his new job it might be a while yet before Australia got its first female prime minister.

"I think our arrangements at present are great and we've got a great deputy prime minister and I'll be chatting to Julia about this,'' he said.

Ms Bryce, a 65-year-old mother of five who has five grandchildren, is a former federal sex discrimination commissioner, human rights activist and women's cricket fan.

She helped devise Australia's childcare accreditation standards, worked as a legal academic for 14 years and has held roles on 20 public committees, including the National Breast Cancer Centre and the Australian Children's Television Foundation. She will replace Major General Michael Jeffery whose five year term expires on August 24.

Major General Jeffery turned 70 in December and has been signalling for more than nine months that he wants to retire. His spokesman said he had written to the Queen asking her to withdraw his commission.

Major General Jeffery said yesterday it had been a "singular privilege and an honour to serve the people of Australia''.

"Marlena and I send Her Excellency and Mr Michael Bryce every good wish as they prepare to take office later this year,'' he said.

Former Victorian Labor premier Joan Kirner, who described Ms Bryce as a founder of the feminist movement in Australia, said: "It means we're catching up with New Zealand. All we have got to have now is a female chief justice and a female prime minister.''

Ms Bryce's appointment means Queenslanders will hold the nation's top three offices of Governor-General, Prime Minister and Treasurer.

Quentin Alice Louise Bryce AC
* Born December 23, 1942 in Longreach, Queensland
* Married Michael Bryce in 1964
* They have two daughters, three sons and five grandchildren
* Bachelor of Arts/Laws from the University of Queensland
* One of the first women appointed to the Queensland bar in 1965
* Appointed the first director of the Queensland Women's Information Service in the Office of the Status of Women in 1984
* Appointed Queensland director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 1987
* Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner 1988-1993
* Founding chair and chief executive Officer of the National Childcare Accreditation Council from 1993-1996
* In 2003 she became the second woman Governor of Queensland

The Daily Telegraph, April 14, 2008