New Queensland Governor sworn-in
Queensland has a new Governor with His Excellency the Honourable Thomas Bradley KC taking over from the Honourable Jeannette Young AC PSM, who has completed her five-year term of office.
His Excellency was sworn in at Parliament House on Sunday 1 November to become the Queensland representative of His Majesty King Charles III.
"I now have the tremendous honour to serve as a personal representative of His Majesty The King and to play a role in the community life of this State, which is quite unique," His Excellency said in his ceremonial speech.
This is only the 27th changeover of Vice-Regal representatives in Queensland’s 167-year history, dating back to the State’s first Governor, Sir George Bowen, who was appointed in 1859 when Queensland separated from New South Wales as a self-governing colony.
His Excellency the Honourable Thomas Bradley KC, Governor of Queensland, was born in Cairns and graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Laws before embarking on a distinguished legal career.
Admitted as a barrister in 2000, he practised in commercial disputes, with a focus on economic regulation, competition policy, energy, resources and construction. In 2013 he was appointed Queen's Counsel, before becoming a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2018.
He served as Principal Commercial List Judge, Senior Class Action List Judge and a judicial member of the Legal Practice Tribunal before being appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2025.
His Excellency has made a significant contribution to Queensland's cultural, charitable and community life.
He has served on the Council of the National Library of Australia and the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Committee. He chaired the Brisbane Festival Giving Committee, the Brisbane Writers Festival, and Access Arts, which supports access to the arts for people with disability or disadvantage.
He was the first Queensland-based ambassador for the Pinnacle Foundation, an education charity for LGBTQIA+ Australians.
He was awarded the Quinn Medal for service on the committee of the Mary MacKillop Brisbane Catholic School Access Fund. He was a director of The Australiana Fund and a Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society.
His partner, Doctor Matthew Yoong, who is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, has worked at hospitals in Brisbane and throughout western Queensland.
"Matthew and I look forward to engaging with people across the State, to help harness the wisdom, the skill, and the goodwill that is in every community as we all answer the call of the Olympic motto which is to go faster, higher, stronger together." he said.
For more information about Queensland’s new governor and Government House, visit Government House Queensland.
- Last updated:
- 5 November 2026