Major-General Michael Jeffery, Governor General- elect, said he planned to speak out on public issues while Australia’s governor-general, but in a way that would avoid causing political disfavour.
Maj-Gen Jeffery, a former governor of Western Australia, Vietnam veteran and ex-SAS commander, will be sworn in as Australia’s 24th governor-general on August 11.
He said he would undoubtedly speak on many issues and had no plans to change his style.
“I think I will be able to talk on issues and principles and values and standards quite comfortably as governor-general,” he told the Nine Network.
“I think the governor-general can to a degree inform debate in that sense and I see that as a role but as I say it’s got to be done with a certain discipline.
“It’s got to be done obviously in a way that doesn’t attract political disfavour or comment.”
Maj-Gen Jeffery, 65, said he received a call from Prime Minister John Howard around 10 days ago who asked him to come to his Sydney office.
The last time Mr Howard called him in, he was sent to Papua New Guinea, and said he suspected the prime minister this time wanted him to go to the Solomon Islands or Kazakhstan.
At the time he had no aspirations to take on the vice-regal post, was happy in retirement and thought other candidates were better suited.
But he made the decision to accept after consulting wife Marlena and his four children.