Hurley retired from the army in June 2014 and succeeded Marie Bashir as governor of New South Wales in October 2014 on the nomination of Premier Mike Baird. His term concluded in May 2019 and he was subsequently appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as governor-general on the nomination of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. His five-year term commenced in July 2019 and expired in July 2024, with Sam Mostyn succeeding him.
Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Hurley was posted as the Senior Career Adviser (Armour, Artillery, Engineers and Infantry) in the Office of the Military Secretary in 1990, appointed SO1 (Operations) Headquarters 2nd Division in early 1991, and in November 1991 assumed command of 1RAR, which he led during Operation Solace in Somalia in 1993. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service during this deployment.[6] In 1994 he became SO1 (Operations), Headquarters 1st Division.[7]
Following promotion to colonel, Hurley was appointed Chief of Staff, Headquarters 1st Division in June 1994, attended the United States Army War College from 1996 to 1997, became Military Secretary to Chief of Army, and was posted to Australian Defence Headquarters as Director of Preparedness and Mobilisation in December 1997.[8] As a brigadier, he assumed command of the 1st Brigade in Darwin in January 1999. During this period he oversaw the brigade's transition to a higher degree of operational readiness and its support to Australian–led operations in East Timor. He went on to be Director General Land Development within Capability Systems in January 2001.[7]
Hurley was promoted to general and succeeded Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) on 4 July 2011.[1] In January 2012 Hurley completed 40 years service to the Australian Defence Force,[5] and on 20 January while in Paris, he was presented with the insignia for Officer of the Legion of Honour by the French CDF.[10] In February, he was presented with a fifth clasp to the Defence Force Service Medal in recognition of his 40 years of service.[5] Hurley retired from the Australian Army on 30 June 2014, and was succeeded as CDF by Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin.[11]
Lieutenant General David Morrison, the 2016 Australian of the Year, credited Hurley with the phrase "the standard you walk past is the standard you accept" in his anti-misogyny speech, which became "one of the most quoted phrases" of Morrison's speech.[12]
On 11 September 2019, when attending an Indonesian national day reception held by the Indonesian Embassy at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, Hurley opted to make his address to the reception in Indonesian.[20]
On 18 March 2020,[21] a human biosecurity emergency was declared in Australia owing to the risks to human health posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, after the National Security Committee met the previous day. The Biosecurity Act 2015 specifies that the Governor-General may declare such an emergency exists if the Health Minister (at the time Greg Hunt) is satisfied that "a listed human disease is posing a severe and immediate threat, or is causing harm, to human health on a nationally significant scale".[22] The Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration 2020 was declared by Hurley under Section 475 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.[21]
During his tenure, Hurley promoted a leadership program to Morrison. The program — Australian Future Leaders Foundation Limited — was given $18 million in funding,[23] despite having no office, online website or staff.[24] This funding was cancelled by the Albanese government in September 2022, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers stating that it "didn’t pass muster" or represent "value for money". Chalmers stated that there would not be an investigation into Hurley's role in the program.[25]
Hurley was involved in the Scott Morrison ministerial positions controversy when he secretly appointed Morrison to five ministerial positions between March 2020 and May 2021. Hurley was found to have no discretion to refuse Morrison's advice and an inquiry considered criticism of Hurley's role to be "unwarranted".[26][27]
In June 2022 Hurley apologised for providing a testimonial for a builder who had renovated his private house. This testimonial was used by the builder in their advertising.[28]
^ ab"The Governor-General's biography | His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)". gg.gov.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2019. David Hurley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 26 August 1953, the son of Norma and James Hurley. His father was an Illawarra steelworker and his mother worked in a grocery store. He grew up in Port Kembla and attended Port Kembla High School where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975 and with a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies from Deakin University in 1991. He is married to Linda with whom he has three children: Caitlin, Marcus and Amelia. The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley have three grandchildren.
^Hafiyyan (15 September 2019). "Rayakan 70 Tahun Hubungan Bilateral, Gubernur Jenderal Australia Berpidato Bahasa Indonesia" [Celebrating 70 Years of Bilateral Relations, the Governor General of Australia Speeches in Indonesian]. kabar24.bisnis.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Australian Governor General David Hurley delivered a speech in Indonesian during the 70th anniversary of the relationship between the two countries, as well as the commemoration of the 74th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia.
^It's an HonourArchived 11 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine – Companion of the Order of Australia – 26 January 2010 Citation: For eminent service to the Australian Defence Force as Chief of Capability Development Group, Chief of Joint Operations and Vice Chief of the Defence Force.
^It's an HonourArchived 11 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine – Officer of the Order of Australia – 26 January 2004 Citation: For distinguished service, leadership and management to the Australian Defence Force in senior command and staff appointments.
^"No. 64423". The London Gazette. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
^The ribbon displayed is for Bintang Yudha Dharma Nararya (Defence Meritorious Service Star – 3rd Class). The ribbon for the Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama (Defence Meritorious Service Star – 1st Class) is the same, but with the addition of two central narrow red stripes. Bintang Yudha DharmaArchived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia Official Website, www.setneg.go.id
^"Canberra, Australian Capital Territory; Dili, The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste". gg.gov.au. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024. Afterwards, the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley, as guests of His Excellency Dr Francisco Guterres Lu-Olo, President, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, attended an investiture ceremony and official dinner, at which the Governor-General was invested with the insignia of the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste.
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