Michael Jeffery
Philip Michael Jeffery, is a retired senior Australian Army officer who was the 24th Governor-General of Australia, serving from 2003 to 2008, and the 28th Governor of Western Australia, serving from 1993 to 2000.
From Perth, Western Australia, Jeffery graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and served in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War, being awarded the Military Cross during the latter conflict.
Jeffery was at various stages commander of the Special Air Service Regiment and the 1st Division, and subsequently Deputy Chief of General Staff, before retiring from active service in 1993. After serving for seven years as Governor of Western Australia, Jeffery was appointed Governor-General of Australia in 2003, following the resignation of Peter Hollingworth. He was the first career Australian Army officer to hold the position, and was succeeded by Dame Quentin Bryce.
Early life and military career
Jeffery was born in Wiluna, Western Australia, on 12 December 1937, and was educated at Kent Street Senior High School. At 16 he left Perth to attend the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra.After graduation in 1958, he served in a number of junior positions before being posted to Malaya in 1962 for operational service. From 1966–69 he served in Papua New Guinea. During this posting, he married Marlena Kerr of Sydney, with whom he had three sons and a daughter. This was followed by a tour of duty in the Vietnam War, during which he was awarded the Military Cross.
Jeffery remained convinced that Australia's participation in the Vietnam War was right. "I believe passionately that Vietnam was a just cause in the circumstances of the time", he said during a 2002 speech to Australian veterans of the war.
In 1972, Jeffery was promoted to lieutenant colonel, commanding the 2nd Battalion of the Pacific Islands Regiment from 1974 to 1975. He assumed command of the Special Air Service Regiment in Perth from 7 January 1976 until 22 October 1977, and was then promoted to colonel as the first Director of the Army's Special Action Forces in 1979.
Jeffery was instrumental in developing the surveillance concept for Northern Australia and as Director of Special Action Forces he prepared the development of the Australian counter-terrorist concept and capability.
From 1982 to 1983, Jeffery headed Australia's national counter-terrorist co-ordination authority. In 1985 he was promoted to major general, being appointed to command the 1st Division the following year. In 1990 he became Deputy Chief of the General Staff and in 1991 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff for Materiel.
Jeffery retired from the army in 1993, and was subsequently appointed to the ceremonial position of Honorary Colonel of the SASR.
Governor of Western Australia
In November 1993, Jeffery was appointed Governor of Western Australia and in June 1996 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia. He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 1 April 2000.During his seven years in the post he made a number of public statements of his conservative views on marriage, sex and education. He received some criticism from the Labor opposition and sections of the media for appearing to take positions on political issues.
Governor-General of Australia
Following the resignation of Peter Hollingworth as Governor-General of Australia, Prime Minister John Howard announced on 22 June 2003 that he had chosen Jeffery to succeed Hollingworth. He was formally appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and sworn in on 11 August 2003, becoming the first Australian career soldier to become governor-general.In 2007, in his position as governor-general, Jeffery was appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, succeeding the previous Colonel-in-Chief, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It is expected that future governors-general will serve in this position.
Jeffery was the Chief Scout of Australia. Historically the Governor-General of Australia has also served as Chief Scout of Australia; the Chief Scout is nominated by the Scouting Association's National Executive Committee and is invited by the President of the Scout Association to accept the appointment. Jeffery was an active Chief Scout.
Jeffery left Yarralumla prior to the swearing-in of his successor, Quentin Bryce, the former Governor of Queensland. Bryce was sworn in on 5 September 2008.
Life after office
Founder and first Chairman, Future Directions InternationalFuture Directions International is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Perth Western Australia. It was established in 2000 by General Jeffery together with a small group of leading Australians to conduct comprehensive research of important medium to long-term issues facing Australia. FDI states its primary aim is to provide informed, balanced advice, which ultimately will result in policy changes that will enhance the quality of strategic decisions at senior levels of the public and private sectors in Australia for the benefit of all Australians.
Chairman Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Australia
Jeffery is Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Australia and is the Australian Representative of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust has been established to honour Her Majesty The Queen for 60 years of outstanding service and by contributing, as she has requested, to initiatives that will endure beyond her lifetime and help people throughout the Commonwealth. The elimination of blinding trachoma from Australia, and from remote Aboriginal communities in particular has been a major focus of the Trust in Australia.
Chairman Outcomes Australia
Outcomes Australia describes itself as "a not-for-profit organisation for change". "Their stated purpose is to ensure that Australia has optimal solutions to problems that impact on the entire community directly, or indirectly. The Outcomes approach is not to devise solutions, but to find successful and proven solutions to existing problems".
Advocate for Soil Health
On 23 October 2012, at the National Farmers Federation Congress in Canberra, then Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the appointment of General Jeffrey as Australia's first ever Advocate for Soil Health. Gillard noted that the condition of our soils must be a national priority. She indicated that a key step in this direction is the appointment of a person with the authority and trust of the community to raise awareness of the importance of soil– an Advocate for Soil Health.
Gillard noted that, as Governor-General, Jeffrey had a passion for regional development and the future of our rural industries, a commitment he has continued since leaving office.
The role of the Advocate for Soil Health involves the development of soil research priorities to complement existing efforts to develop a national soil research, development and extension strategy. The Terms of Reference identify the following specified tasks: Advocate that the healthy condition of our soils must be a national priority; Report to the Australian Government on national priorities for soil and landscape science and management; Deliver an initial report to the Prime Minister, an interim report to the Minister for Agriculture, and a final report to the Prime Minister; Work towards ensuring that existing and new soils research meets the needs of Australia's farmers and other soil managers; Advocate for adequate knowledge and supporting systems to help farmers to actively build healthy soils; and, Contribute to the Australian Government white papers on Agricultural Competitiveness and Developing Northern Australia.
In his first report, Jeffery indicated his role as the Advocate for Soil Health has to date focussed on gaining a more detailed understanding of the roles, responsibilities and interconnectivity of groups involved in natural resource management, and publicly advocating the importance of prioritising soil health in the broader context of landscape management. Areas of interest, research and development priorities, meetings and events are listed in the report.
Jeffery has also provided input into the .
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott extended the appointment of Jeffery as the national Advocate for Soil Health until December 2014. He indicated that, as the Advocate, General Jeffery will continue to raise public awareness of the critical role soil plays in underpinning sustainable productivity, delivering high quality ecosystem services and helping to meet global challenges including food security and climate change.
Though appointed to this role by the Australian Government, the Advocate for Soil Health does not speak on behalf of the government.
As of June 2020, Jeffery has stepped down form his role as Advocate for Soil Health due to an ongoing illness.
Chairman Soils For Life
Outcomes Australia established Soils For Life, a not-for-profit environmental organisation with the stated purpose of "enhancing the natural environment through the provision of information and education on innovative leading performance in managing Australia's natural environment, particularly with a focus on the Australian rural landscape".
Soils for Life supports innovative farmers and land managers demonstrating high performance in regenerative landscape management. The Soils for Life website lists some twenty case studies of productive regenerative agriculture across Australia. The experiences of farmers who are already successfully leading the way is documented to illustrate what can be achieved and how.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Constitution Education Fund Australia
The Constitution Education Fund Australia is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organisation committed to increasing public understanding and appreciation of the Constitution, its history and contemporary relevance. CEFA attracts support from all section of the Australian community for its education program. CEFA believes that all Australians, young and old, those born here and those who have come from other lands should have a broad understanding of the system of government that has made our country one of the most successful democracies in the world. Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of Australia, is Patron-in-Chief.
Patronages
Jeffery is an active Patron of several other not-for-profit organisations.
Honours and awards
| Companion of the Order of Australia – Civil division | 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours | |
| Officer of the Order of Australia – Military division | 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours | |
| Member of the Order of Australia – Military division | 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours | |
| Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | ||
| Military Cross | ||
| Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John | 15 April 1994 | |
| Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 | with MALAYA, THAI-MALAY and VIETNAM clasps | |
| General Service Medal | with BORNEO clasp | |
| Vietnam Medal | ||
| Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 | with SE ASIA and PNG clasps | |
| Centenary Medal | ||
| Defence Force Service Medal with 4 clasps | 35–39 years service | |
| National Medal | with First Clasp – 25–35 years service to... | |
| Australian Defence Medal | ||
| Service Medal of the Order of St John | ||
| Papua New Guinea Independence Medal | ||
| Vietnam Campaign Medal | ||
| Pingat Jasa Malaysia | ||
| Honorary Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu |
Unit Award:
Images of General Jeffery with medals: ,
Image of General Jeffery in uniform with ribbons: