A former chief of Australia's defence forces was Sunday appointed as the next governor-general, the representative of Britain's Queen, but will only assume the role after crucial state and federal elections next year.
Retired general David Hurley, 65, will be the second ex-defence forces chief to assume the role, which is largely ceremonial in the constitutional monarchy but does hold the power to intervene in the government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison -- whose embattled conservative coalition could be turfed out in next year's national poll -- said he had chosen Hurley to ensure "stability, continuity, certainty".
"I had only one choice, my first choice, and he is standing next to me," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
"I was looking for someone who could fill that constitutional role with great dignity, but with a levelness."
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