Tune in to watch the inauguration of Governor-Designate Professor Margaret Gardner AC on 9 August 2023.
Professor Margaret Gardner AC will be inaugurated as the 30th Governor of Victoria on Wednesday 9 August 2023 at a ceremony at Parliament House.
Victorians are invited to watch the inauguration online, with the event to be livestreamed via the Governor of Victoria website.
At the inauguration, the Governor-Designate will be formally sworn in to exercise the constitutional power of Head of State in Victoria.
Official proceedings will commence at 11:00am following the arrival of the official party and a smoking ceremony by Wurundjeri Elders on the steps of Parliament.
During the ceremony, the Premier of Victoria will be invited to speak and the Governor-Designate will take an Affirmation of Allegiance and an Affirmation of Office.
The Governor-Designate will sign the Oath Book which holds the signatures of every Governor of Victoria since Charles La Trobe was sworn in as the first Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria on 15 July 1851.
Both the Premier and the Governor-Designate will also sign a Proclamation announcing the assumption of the Office of the Governor.
Immediately following the assumption, the Governor’s Standard will be raised at Parliament House and at Government House, and the newly inaugurated Governor will then make a maiden speech.
Governor-Designate Gardner will commence a five-year term as Governor of Victoria after a career as an eminent academic and university sector leader. Learn more about the Governor-Designate by reading her biography.
Information about the process of inviting the Governor-Designate to an event can be found on the requests and invitations page.