Queen’s man in Australia resigns following rape allegations

THE Governor General of Australia announced yesterday he has offered to resign as nominal head of state following rape accusations and separate allegations that he did not act against child-abusing clergy when he was an Anglican Church archbishop in the 1990s.

Governor General Peter Hollingworth, who stepped aside earlier this month, denied any wrongdoing, but the scandals meant he should quit permanently.“Despite the misplaced and unwarranted allegations made against me as Governor General, it is clear that continuing public controversy has the potential to undermine and diminish my capacity to uphold the importance, dignity and integrity of this high office,” Mr Hollingworth said in a statement issued in Sydney.

“It is with deep regret and after much thought that I have today advised the Prime Minister that I wish to resign from the office of Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia,” he added.

Mr Hollingworth, 68, has been under intense pressure to quit because of unproven accusations that he raped a woman 40 years ago.

An Anglican church inquiry also found that while he was archbishop of Brisbane a decade ago, he had allowed a known peadophile to continue working as a priest. He has admitted “errors in judgment” from the priest scandal.

A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he would comment publicly comment on the matter today.

“The Governor General has obviously spoken to the Prime Minister over the weekend but this was the Governor General’s decision,” said the spokesman.

While the resignation and sex scandals do not reflect on the Queen, they could cast a shadow on the future of her reign over Australia, a former British colony. Republicans are expected to use the case as ammunition in their campaign to severe Australia’s ties with the monarchy and set up a democratically chosen president.

It is also a blow to Mr Howard, a staunch monarchist, because he asked the Queen to appoint Hollingworth to the largely ceremonial job in 2001.

It may dent Mr Howard’s public support at a time when he has been riding high in opinion polls thanks to his record of strong economic management and his sending troops to support US-led forces in Iraq. Mr Howard stood by Mr Hollingworth throughout the controversy.