Government House Queensland
Her Excellency has passed a milestone four years in office, a period defined by her commitment to serve the State through constitutional, ceremonial and civic leadership, and to meaningfully engage with Queenslanders, wherever they may live.
Since her swearing-in on 1 November 2021, the Governor has presided over more than 400 constitutional engagements, including the Opening of a new Parliament. She has presided over regular meetings of the Executive Council and granted Royal Assent to Bills of Parliament as and when needed, fulfilling her responsibilities under the Queensland constitution.
Her Excellency has faithfully represented our Head of State, King Charles III. She has also sought to emphasise the importance of recognition and reconciliation with First Nations people, through initiatives including the installation of four flagpoles above the Vice-Regal Gates of Government House that now permanently fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and dedicated visits to remote Indigenous communities. Meanwhile, she has honoured thousands of Queenslanders through our unique Australian Honours and Awards across more than a dozen Investiture Ceremonies held each year—in at Government House in Brisbane, the regional centres of Townsville and Cairns, and as far afield as Mornington Island.
The Governor has travelled widely across Queensland—visiting more than 260 communities large and small, from Thursday Island to Coolangatta, and throughout the State’s vast west. While there, she has promoted their contributions to Queensland, celebrated their successes, and offered her support in times of hardship and loss. She is also on track to visit every public hospital and health service in the state, fulfilling her pledge to thank frontline healthcare workers for their hard work and dedication.
On the global stage, Her Excellency has represented Queensland at the Olympics in Paris, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and through trade missions to Japan, India, and China. She has hosted foreign ambassadors, dignitaries, and a delegation from the International Olympic Committee at Government House, all while nurturing relationships with more than 170 patronage organisations spread throughout the state. These organisations span a diverse range of areas including health and wellbeing, disability and aged care, education and literacy, arts and culture, heritage and history, community service, social justice, sport and recreation, emergency services, veterans’ support, multicultural engagement, and industry development.
The Governor has served as custodian of the Fernberg Estate, a treasured piece of Queensland’s history encompassing the heritage-listed Government House surrounded by 16.3 hectares of pristine bushland. Fernberg has been the working residence of Governors since 1910, and Her Excellency committed to opening it up as “a place for all Queenslanders”, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors through its gates. In the past year alone, more than 4,300 visitors joined over 760 tours, receptions, and formal events. Bushland walks, Picnic Days, and Open Days have become cherished traditions that blend civic life with Queensland’s built history and natural beauty. The recent expansion to the Estate’s network of bushland tracks will serve as a legacy of this Governor’s tenure.
The Governor has been accompanied in these endeavours and supported in her efforts by her husband, Professor Graeme Nimmo, who is Joint Patron with Her Excellency of several organisations, and Patron in his own right of other interest groups.
Four years on, Her Excellency remains true to her inaugural promise: to listen and to serve the people of Queensland with pride and purpose.
