Everything about Australian Peers totally explained
Australians, then being British subjects, were originally eligible to receive British
Imperial Honours. Such honours included peerages, which at that time were all
hereditary and automatically meant membership of the
House of Lords - neither of these is necessarily the case any more.
Peerage titles awarded to Australians included some distinctly Australian titles, such as
Viscount Bruce of Melbourne. Imperial Honours were recommended to the Sovereign by the
Prime Minister of Australia, an Australian
State Premier, or sometimes by the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
This practice generally came to a halt in 1975 when
Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of the Prime Minister
Gough Whitlam, instituted an entirely
Australian Honours System, although individual states such as
Queensland continued to recommend Imperial Honours for some time.
Monarchial title (created 1953)
» *
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith (1953-1973) - Royal Styles and Titles Act 1953
*
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth (1973-present) - Royal Styles and Titles Act 1973
Style
» *
Her Majesty (1952-present)
Australian hereditary peerages
The only Australian ever elevated to an hereditary peerage was
Stanley Bruce. He became
Prime Minister in 1923, holding the office for six and a half years until he lost not only the
1929 election but also his own
seat of Flinders. He later became High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and served there for thirteen years. In 1947 he became
Viscount Bruce of Melbourne in the State of Victoria and the Commonwealth of Australia and of Westminster Gardens in the City of Westminster. He was childless, and the viscountcy became extinct at his death.
One other Australian was to have been made an hereditary peer, but died before the peerage was created.
Sir John Forrest was an explorer and statesman, who became the first
Premier of Western Australia (1890-1901). After
Federation he entered
Federal Parliament (1901-1918). On 6 February 1918, he was informed that he was to be elevated to the
British peerage as "Baron Forrest of Bunbury in the State of Western Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia and of Forrest in Fife in the United Kingdom". He died at sea off the coast of Sierra Leone while en route to England for medical treatment. Despite the announcement, no
Letters Patent were issued before his death, so the peerage wasn't officially created. He is sometimes referred to as "Lord Forrest", however this is an inaccurate title.
Hereditary peers with Australian associations
Barony of Birdwood (1938)
William Birdwood was a British military commander prominent at
Gallipoli. After retirement from the army in 1930, Birdwood made a bid to become
Governor-General of Australia. He had the backing of King
George V and the British government. However, the Australian Prime Minister
James Scullin insisted that his Australian nominee Sir
Isaac Isaacs be appointed. The King ultimately felt bound to accept the advice of the Prime Minister, but he didn't disguise his reluctance and displeasure. In 1938 Birdwood was raised to the peerage, taking the title
Baron Birdwood, of Anzac in the Commonwealth of Australia and Totnes in the County of Devon. He died in 1951. As of 2007 the barony is held by his grandson, the third Baron Birdwood. Sir Isaac Isaacs himself was nominated for a peerage, but this was refused.
Barony of Dugan (1949)
Sir Winston Dugan (1877–1951) was a British administrator. He served as
Governor of South Australia from 1934 to 1939 then
Governor of Victoria until 1949. He was also the
Administrator of the Commonwealth on two occasions. He was created
Baron Dugan of Victoria on 7 July 1949. The title became extinct upon his death.
Viscountcy of Slim (1960)
Field Marshal Sir
William Slim (1891-1970) was a British military commander who had fought alongside Australians in both world wars, at Gallipoli, the Middle East and other places. He was
Governor-General of Australia from 1952 to 1960, when he returned to England. On the initiative of the then Prime Minister
Robert Menzies, Sir William and Lady Slim received Australian pensions and passports. In 1960 Slim was raised to the peerage, taking the title
Viscount Slim, of Yarralumla in the Capital Territory of Australia and of Bishopston in the City and County of Bristol. He was succeeded upon his death by his son
John Slim, 2nd Viscount Slim. The current
heir apparent is his grandson
Mark William Rawdon Slim.
Other
There were other Governors-General of Australia who were British hereditary peers but whose peerages pre-dated their assuming the office of Governor-General:
Another Governor-General,
Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson, was raised to the peerage as 1st Viscount Novar after leaving the office. However, his peerage title contained no reference to any Australian place.
Australian life peers
Some Australians have been made
life peers or peeresses of the United Kingdom. They include:
Richard Casey (1890–1976) resigned from the Parliament in 1960 in order to accept a life peerage. He became "Baron Casey, of Berwick in the State of Victoria and the Commonwealth of Australia, and of the City of Westminster", and he took his seat in the House of Lords. In 1965 he was made Governor-General of Australia.
Sir Howard Florey (1898-1968) was made a life peer in 1965 as "Baron Florey, of Adelaide in the State of South Australia and Commonwealth of Australia and of Marston in the County of Oxford". Both Florey and the discoverer of penicillin, Sir Alexander Fleming, were knighted in 1944. Florey's peerage recognised the monumental work he did in making penicillin available in sufficient quantities to save millions of lives in World War II.
Sir Robert Hall (1901-1999), Australian-born economic adviser to the UK government (1953-61) and a member of Britain's Economic Planning Board (1947-61), was made a life peer in 1969. He took the name "Baron Roberthall, of Silverspear in the State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia and of Trenance in the County of Cornwall". (External Link
) (External Link)
Trixie Gardner (born 1927), dentist and Conservative politician, was made a life peeress as "Baroness Gardner of Parkes in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth of Australia, and of Southgate in Greater London", on 19 June 1981. (External Link) She is the only Australian-born life peeress.
Sir Robert May (born 1936), Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government, President of the Royal Society, and a Professor at Sydney, Princeton, Oxford, and Imperial College London, was made a life peer in 2001. After his initial preference for "Baron May of Woollahra" failed an objection from the Protocol Office of the Australian Prime Minister's Department, he chose the title "Baron May of Oxford, of Oxford in the County of Oxfordshire".
Expectations unfullfilled
In some cases a person was nominated for a peerage which was refused, such as Sir Isaac Isaacs.
In some cases there was a very strong expectation of being nominated for a peerage that failed to materialise, such as Sir Henry Bolte.
In some cases, the nominee died before the peerage was granted, such as Daniel Patrick O'Connell.
Australian baronetcies
Although baronetcies are not peerages, relevant details are included here for ease of reference. The following Australians were awarded baronetcies:
Baronetcy of Clarke of Rupertswood
Sir William John Clarke 1st Bt. (1882, Colony of Victoria)
The baronetcy is extant. Application has been made by the prospective 4th baronet, Rupert Grant Alexander Clarke
Baronetcy of Way of Montefiore
Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Bt. (1899, Colony of South Australia)
The baronetcy is extinct.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Australian Peers'.
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