The woman who was chosen as the king’s representative in Australia once tweeted in support of the republican movement.
Sam Mostyn, 59, cleared her social media presence before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that the businesswoman, gender and climate activist would replace General David Hurley as governor-general.
But in a resurfaced deleted tweet on December 7, 2015, Ms Mostyn praised former Republic Movement chairman Peter FitzSimmons for his work to cut ties with the British monarchy. The Australian reported.
“Passionate advocacy for the Australian Republic @Peter-Fitz in Sydney today #ARM #AustralianRepublic #Australia #auspol,” she wrote.
Mr FitzSimmons was chairman of the Republic Movement, an organization that advocated for an Australian head of state, from 2015 until his resignation in 2022.
Ms Mostyn (pictured left) was appointed as the next Governor-General by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured right) and the businesswoman and climate activist will replace David Hurley
Ms Mostyn praised the work of former Australian Republic Movement chairman Peter FitzSimmons (pictured), who was at the helm of the organization from 2015 to 2022.
The revelation comes after Daily Mail Australia discovered a host of other social media posts she made that shed light on her political views.
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and hosted and participated in panels on the referendum alongside Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo.
She advocated for a Yes vote online, took part in Michael Long’s ‘Long Walk Oz’ to Canberra to promote the Indigenous Advisory Panel and joined virtual yarn circles with Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis.
Her X account’s banner image has long been a poster that reads: ‘We support the Uluru Statement’.
And on January 25, 2020, Ms Mostyn wrote: ‘This January 26, NITV Sunrise Ceremony cleansing ceremonies, 80,000 years of Australian history, wonderful panel discussing survival, truth, #invasionday and the future.’
She then added another hashtag that said, “#AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe.”
Australia’s new governor-general called Australia Day ‘invasion day’
Reconciliation Australia, a foundation focused on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, celebrated her appointment on Wednesday and revealed – in addition to the long list of qualifications touted by the Prime Minister in his statement – that they also management was over.
“Sam is a former board member of Reconciliation Australia (2007-2010) and has been a committed advocate for reconciliation, First Nations rights, climate change and many other causes throughout her career,” the organization said.
Ms Mostyn made another post on July 30, 2022, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke out in favor of the Voice to Parliament referendum, and in the wake of the death of Aboriginal activist and singer Archie Roach.
She said: “I can’t imagine a more bittersweet day – from the excitement and hope of a voice being enshrined in our Constitution to the devastating, deep sadness over the loss of Archie Roach.
“Australia cannot waste a moment in accepting the Uluru Statement from the heart.”
Her X account’s banner image has long been a poster saying ‘we support the Uluru Statement’
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Voice to Parliament and hosted and participated in panels on the referendum alongside controversial campaigner Thomas Mayo
Ms Mostyn also appeared to celebrate the election of Teal Independents in the 2022 federal election.
“In case you hadn’t heard them roar,” she tweeted, sharing an article about the “pro-climate women who took on the Liberal Party and won.”
These had all been removed when she was announced as the new governor general on Wednesday.
Speaking about her appointment, Mr Albanese said: “Ms Mostyn has had an extensive career in corporate Australia, including working at senior levels in telecommunications and insurance companies in Australia and globally.
‘She also held senior non-executive positions on boards including Transurban and Virgin Australia, and was chair of Citibank Australia. She is currently chairman of AWARE Super and Alberts Music Group and sits on the board of Mirvac.
“Ms Mostyn has been a commissioner of the Australian Football League (AFL) and a driving force behind the AFL Women’s (AFLW).” Her tweets reveal that she is an AFL nut and repeatedly posts about the competition.
It was widely expected that Mr Albanese would appoint an indigenous Australian as governor-general, and Ms Mostyn’s announcement came as a surprise.
She and Mr Albanese have a long-standing professional relationship through her high-level roles as chair of the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce and on the board of the Climate Change Authority.
In September 2023, as the Prime Minister came under scrutiny over his friendship with embattled Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Ms Mostyn was named in a manifesto for Mr Albanese’s VIP flight.
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Voice to Parliament and hosted and participated in panels on the referendum alongside controversial campaigner Thomas Mayo
She accompanied Mr Joyce and Mr Albanese on a private flight back to Sydney after the Jobs and Skills Summit, along with other VIPs including the CEO of Rio Tinto and the chairman of Telstra.
Mr Albanese said at the time: ‘They were given a bill, they paid their own money and they sat together while I was in another part of the plane having a meeting about the Jobs and Skills Summit.’
She was also seen at the Prime Minister’s victory party after winning the 2022 elections.
Ms Mostyn has long been outspoken in her ambitions to see positive change in Canberra, having worked as a policy adviser to two ministers and Prime Minister Paul Keating.
At the time, she was completely taken aback by the culture in Canberra, telling Teal independent Zoe Daniel that she was repeatedly propositioned by serving senators.
She said: ‘There was a feeling that everything was fair game.
‘A few times I was invited by backbench senators for coffee with Aussies and I took out my pen and paper because I thought they were interested in communications policy.
“A few of them said, ‘Yes, would you like to have an affair?’ ”, she said.
She will replace Governor General David Hurley on July 1
Ms Mostyn said these politicians would argue that there is no harm in extramarital affairs in Canberra because “it’s a funny old place, away from family”, noting that in her experience “the normal rules of good behavior” did not exist.
Ms Mostyn’s appointment drew praise from left-wing personalities such as Peter FitzSimons, Magda Szubanski and Australian Republic Movement president Craig Foster.
Mr Foster described Ms Mostyn’s appointment as “an inspired choice”, describing it as “a choice I am sure Australians would make if we had the choice.” Instead of asking for the approval of a king.
“In fact, Sam would make a great President of the Australian Republic.”
And Mr. FitzSimons, another advocate for a republic, said, “Great choice! A real woman of the people.’
Senior Nationals MPs David Littleproud and Bridget McKenzie both supported the appointment.
But Senator Ralph Babet of the United Australia Party argued that Mr Albanese has replaced a general in the ADF (Mr Hurley) with “a Canberran champion of climate change and equality”.
Ms Mostyn has long been outspoken in her ambitions to see positive change in Canberra, having worked as a policy adviser to two ministers and the Prime Minister during the Keating era.
Ms Mostyn will take over the role on July 1.
But after Daily Mail Australia published this story, the Indigenous Voice No campaign Advance hit back at the appointment, describing it as ‘an insult to mainstream Australians’.
“Mostyn is the worst kind of corporate activist who campaigned against the majority of Australians in the divisive Voice referendum.
“The Prime Minister’s appointment confirms that he cares more about the activists and elites than the people who work hard to make this country great.
“If Australians want to see an example of the left’s march through our institutions, this is it, right in front of us.”
Advance described the appointment as ‘deeply political’ and said the role should have gone to someone who was ‘non-political’.