Congratulations to Quentin Bryce for being selected to represent the Queen in Australia. She seems like a most worthy recipient of the honour and… oh, what’s that? She’s a woman? What’s that got to do with anything?

Anyway, today Ms Bryce declared an agenda of sorts. You know, just like an elected official does when starting a new job.

Governor-General designate Quentin Bryce says improving the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians will be a priority when she takes up the post.

[...]

“Like very many Australians I’ve been looking into my heart and asking what is the contribution that I can make in 2008 to advancing the wellbeing of our Indigenous Australians,” she said.

Good on her for wanting to make a difference, but unelected, symbolic figureheads that represent unelected, symbolic figureheads of other countries should confine their activities to cutting ribbons at art galleries and hosting tea parties. Michael Jeffery threatened to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, saying “I think I will be able to talk on issues and principles and values and standards quite comfortably as Governor-General”, but in the end he laid fairly low besides from his pathetic motherhood statements before swearing in each new Minister and vague statements about masculinity.

Hopefully Ms Bryce will do the same. (And hopefully she’ll be the last G-G as well.)