What are Crown's reserve powers and when might they be used?

• A. They are routine powers of Parliament to pass laws.
• B. They are ceremonial duties with no real effect.
• C. They are exceptional constitutional powers exercised by the Governor-General in crisis.
• D. They are powers of the monarch to overrule elections.

Answer: (C)

These powers are reserve powers—the Crown’s discretionary authority kept for extraordinary constitutional moments. In Australia, the Governor-General acts as the Crown’s representative, and these powers are not used in routine governance or ceremonial duties. They come into play only in a genuine constitutional crisis where normal processes couldn’t resolve who should govern or how to uphold the system.

In practice, that means the Governor-General could intervene if there’s no clear majority and a government cannot be formed, or if a Prime Minister who has lost the confidence of the House refuses to step down, or in some cases where a dissolution of Parliament is needed to protect the constitutional order. Such actions are exceptional and guided by long-standing conventions, not regular political practice. They are not powers of the monarch to overrule elections.