Governor-General Michael Jeffery has come under fire for joining the debate on US President George Bush's condemnation of Labor plans to withdraw troops from Iraq by Christmas.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/08/1086460294907.html?from=top5

Constitutional law experts and several MPs accused General Jeffery of overstepping the mark.

University of NSW law professor George Williams said he had been surprised by the remarks.

"Normally governors-general would just stick out of it - they have to be careful about commenting on something that is in the midst of a hot political debate," he said.

"It's vital that the governor-general is both above politics and seen to be above politics because he is the constitutional umpire."

Mr Latham declined to comment on the Governor-General's remarks yesterday, but Australian Republican Movement national director Allison Henry said a governor-general should be above politics at all times. "Any governor-general should stick to that rule," Ms Henry said.

Federal Labor MP Jennie George said General Jeffery seemed to have disregarded the protocol.

"When it comes to an issue that is pretty high on the national political radar, I would have thought it's not a particularly judicious intervention on his part," she said.

A spokesman for General Jeffery dismissed suggestions he had flouted a convention. "He made his comments in response to those questions and his answer is his answer," the spokesman said.