British High Commission, Canberra, 7 February 1968
Confidential
As instructed in your telegram No. 335 of February 6 I have today informed the Australian Prime Minister of the appointment of Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan1 to be the next Governor of Tasmania.
2. In fact I wonder if in future such communications to the Australian Prime Minister should not be made through the Governor-General rather than as hitherto through myself. As I understand it, State Governors are appointed by the Queen as Sovereign of Australia and not by H.M.G. in the U.K. This may seem pedantic, but Gorton as you know is a tricky customer. He is I suspect a bit inclined to regard State Governorships as something of a vestigial U.K. ‘racket’, all the more so no doubt when one British General replaces another as on this occasion. He is also a strong centralizer and supporter of Commonwealth power as against that of the States. From his own angle I suspect that he views the whole concept of State Governors as anachronistic and as supported by people like his old opponent Henry Bolte2 mainly as a prop of States’ rights against the Commonwealth.
3. In the circumstances we should, I think, watch our step over this and take special care to be strictly correct in matters of procedure. Would you very kindly think about this and let me have your views in due course?
1 Bastyan was Governor of South Australia, 1961–68, of Tasmania, 1968–73.
2 Leader of the Liberal Party, Victoria 1953–73; Premier and Treasurer, Victoria, 1955–73.
[UKNA: FCO 49/134]