What is the role of the Governor-General in Australia?

• A. Acts as the Queen's representative at the federal level and performs constitutional duties such as giving Royal Assent to laws.
• B. Heads the government
• C. Oversees state parliaments
• D. Represents Australia in international affairs

Answer: (A)

In Australia, the Governor-General serves as the Queen’s representative at the federal level, handling constitutional duties that keep the system of Parliament functioning. A central task is giving Royal Assent to laws, the formal step that turns a bill passed by both houses into law. In practice, this and other formal powers—like appointing the Prime Minister and summoning or dissolving Parliament—are exercised on the government’s advice, reflecting the constitutional framework rather than personal political power. The other options don’t fit because leading the government is the Prime Minister’s role, not the Governor-General’s; state parliaments are overseen at the state level by their own authorities, not the federal Governor-General; and international representation is primarily the domain of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, with the Governor-General playing more of a ceremonial and representative role on occasion.