‘s next Governor-General referred to Day as ‘invasion day’ and urged the country not to ‘waste’ the opportunity offered by the Uluru Statement from the Heart in now-deleted comments posted to X.
Sam Mostyn wiped her social media presence before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the businesswoman, gender and climate activist as General David Hurley’s replacement on Wednesday morning.
The once prolific tweeter – who boasted 22,000 followers on X – wiped clean her X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts just prior to her appointment to the vice-regal role.
But posts Ms Mostyn made over the years – obtained by Daily Mail – offer an insight into the politics of the woman now tasked with representing King Charles in .
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, hosting and participating in panels about 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 promoting the Indigenous advisory panel and joined virtual yarning circles with Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis.
‘s new Governor-General referred to Day as ‘invasion day’
Sam Mostyn wiped all her social media presence before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced her as David Hurley’s replacement on Wednesday morning
The banner picture of her X account was, for a lengthy period of time, a poster which declared, ‘We support the Uluru Statement’.
And on January 25, 2020, Ms Mostyn wrote: ‘This 26 January, NITV Sunrise Ceremony cleansing ceremonies, 80,000 yrs n history, wonderful panel discussing survival, truth, #invasionday & the future.’
She then included another hashtag which stated: ‘#AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe.’
Reconciliation , a foundation focused upon healing the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous ns, celebrated her appointment on Wednesday, revealing – in addition to the long list of qualifications touted by the PM in his statement – she also served on their board.
‘Sam is a former board member of Reconciliation (2007-2010) & has been a dedicated advocate for reconciliation, First Nations rights, climate change & many other causes during her career,’ the organisation said.
Ms Mostyn made another post on July 30, 2022 after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed to the referendum into the Voice to Parliament, and in the wake of Aboriginal activist and singer Archie Roach’s death.
She said: ‘Cannot think of a more bittersweet day – from the exhilaration & hope for a Voice to be enshrined in our Constitution to the devastating, deep sadness on the loss of Archie Roach.
‘ cannot waste a moment in accepting the Uluru Statement from the Heart.’
The banner picture of her X account was, for a lengthy period of time, a poster which declared ‘we support the Uluru Statement’
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Voice to Parliament, hosting and participating in panels about the referendum alongside controversial campaigner Thomas Mayo
Ms Mostyn also appeared to celebrate the election of the Teal independents at the 2022 federal election.
‘Just in case you hadn’t already heard them roar,’ she tweeted – sharing an article about the ‘pro-climate women who took on the Liberal Party and won.
These were all removed by the time she was announced as the incoming Governor-General on Wednesday.
Speaking of her appointment, Mr Albanese said: ‘Ms Mostyn has had an extensive career in the n business community, including working at senior levels in telecommunications and insurance companies in and globally.
‘She has also held senior non-executive roles on boards including Transurban, Virgin , and has been chair of Citibank . She currently chairs AWARE Super and Alberts Music Group and is on the board of Mirvac.
‘Ms Mostyn has been a Commissioner with the n Football League (AFL) and a driving force behind the AFL Women’s (AFLW).’ Her tweets show she is an AFL nut – posting repeatedly about the league.
It was widely expected Mr Albanese would appoint an Indigenous n to the role of Governor-General, and Ms Mostyn’s announcement came as a surprise.
She and Mr Albanese have a longstanding professional relationship due to her high-level roles chairing the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce and on the Climate Change Authority board.
Back in September 2023, when the PM was facing scrutiny over his friendship with embattled Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Ms Mostyn was named in a manifest for Mr Albanese’s VIP flight.
Ms Mostyn was a leading advocate for the Voice to Parliament, hosting and participating in panels about the referendum alongside controversial campaigner Thomas Mayo
She joined Mr Joyce and Mr Albanese on a private flight back to Sydney following the Jobs and Skills Summit, along with other VIPs including the CEO of Rio Tinto and chair of Telstra.
Mr Albanese said at the time: ‘They were sent a bill, they paid their own way and that they sat together whilst I had a meeting about the Jobs and Skills Summit in a different section of the plane.’
She was also seen at the PM’s victory party after winning the 2022 election.
Ms Mostyn has long been outspoken in her ambitions to see positive change in Canberra after working as a policy advisor 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 this sense that everything was fair game.
‘On a couple of occasions I had backbench senators invite me to coffee at Aussies and I took my pen and paper thinking they were interested in communications policy.
‘A couple of them said ”Yep, are you up for an affair?”,’ she said.
She will replace Governor General David Hurley on July 1
Ms Mostyn has long been outspoken in her ambitions to see positive change in Canberra after working as a policy advisor to two ministers and the PM during the Keating era of government
Ms Mostyn said these politicians would argue there was no harm in extramarital affairs in Canberra because ‘it’s a funny old place away from family’, and noted her experience was that ‘the normal rules of good behaviour’ didn’t exist.
Ms Mostyn’s appointment has sparked a mostly positive reaction. It attracted praise from left-wing personalities like Peter FitzSimons, Magda Szubanski and the Chair of the n Republic Movement, Craig Foster.
Mr Foster described Ms Mostyn’s appointment as ‘an inspired choice’, describing it as ‘one that I’m sure ns would make, if we had the choice. Rather than asking for the approval of a King.
‘In fact, Sam would be a wonderful President of the n Republic.’
And Mr FitzSimons, another advocate for a republic, said: ‘Great choice! Very much a woman of the people.’
Senior Nationals MPs David Littleproud and Bridget McKenzie both supported the appointment.
But United Party senator Ralph Babet argued Mr Albanese has replaced a General in the ADF (Mr Hurley) with ‘a climate change and equity advocate Canberran lefty’.
Ms Mostyn takes the role on July 1.
But after Daily Mail published this story, the Indigenous Voice No campaign Advance hit out at the appointment, describing it as ‘an insult to mainstream ns’.
‘Mostyn is the worst kind of corporate activist who campaigned against the majority of ns in the divisive Voice referendum.
‘The PM’s appointment… confirms he cares more about the activists and elites than the people working hard to make this nation great.
‘If ns want to see an example of the left’s march through out 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’.