Public life
Jews have been active in all aspects of Australian public life - most notably in politics, law and public service, the arts and business. Australian Jews have made a far more significant contribution to the public life of the nation than their numbers in the population would suggest. Many Australian Jews have made their greatest contribution to the Jewish community itself.
> Read about leading Jewish businessmen and their contributions to Australia's economic life
> Discover the important role Jewish entrepreneurs played in the arts and cultural life of colonial Australia
Two Jews have held the position of Governor-General, Australia's highest ranking office: Sir Isaac Isaacs (1931-1936) and Sir Zelman Cowan (1977-1982). Sir Isaac Isaacs had the double honour of being Australia's first native-born Head of State.
> See highlights from Sir Isaac Isaac's term of office as Governor-General of Australia
Recommendations for the position of governor-general are made to the reigning British monarch by the Prime Minister of Australia. Since November 1930, there has been only one recorded case of a monarch declining a prime minister's advice.
Sir Isaac Isaac's nomination by Prime Minister James Scullin was initially opposed by the British government, not because of any lack of respect for Isaacs personally, but because the British considered it inappropriate for an Australian, no matter how highly regarded, to assume the role of the monarch’s representative in Australia. However, with precedents already set by South Africa and the Irish Free State, Scullin insisted that the monarch act on the prime minister's direct advice. The King remained reluctant to accept Scullin's recommendation but the Prime Minister stood firm. When George V finally agreed to Isaacs's appointment, on 29 November, he made it clear that he did so only because he felt that Scullin had given him no option.
It was this controversy, among other matters, that led to the 1931 Statute of Westminster which now ensures that the reigning monarch is bound to accept advice on Australian constitutional matters from the prime minister and state premiers.
One of the highlights of Sir Isaac Isaac's term as Governor-General was the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 19 March 1932. As the King's official respresentative in Australia, Isaacs was a key member of the official party which also included the Governor of NSW, Sir Phillip Game, and the NSW Premier, 'Black' Jack Lang. What happened next is now part of modern Australian mythology.
Broadsheet: The Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 19th March, 1932. Printed. DG V1/ 22