Governor-General
In August 1995, the Labor Prime Minister, Paul Keating, announced that the Queen of Australia had agreed to the appointment of Deane as Governor-General to succeed Bill Hayden. He retired from the High Court in November and was sworn in as Governor-General on 16 February 1996. Less than a month later, Keating's government was defeated by the Liberal/National coalition led by John Howard.
During his six-year term of office Deane became increasingly outspoken on social issues. While he never directly criticised the government, the tenor of his comments was clear to most observers. Conversely, Howard and his ministers were careful not to criticise Deane, but conservative press commentators and activists were less restrained. His term of office was due to expire on 31 December 2000 but was extended on the recommendation of the Howard Government until the middle of 2001 to enable him to be Governor General at the time of the Centenary of Federation celebrations.
In 2001, Deane was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize "for his consistent support of vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians and his strong commitment to the cause of reconciliation".
Deane is currently Patron or co-Patron of a large number of charitable organizations working for the disadvantaged, including Matthew Talbot Homeless Services, Father Chris Riley's Youth off the Streets, the Starlight Foundation, the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and Home in Queanbeyan. He is also a Patron of Reconciliation Australia, the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and was appointed by the A.C.T. Government as Patron of the National Capital's 2013 Centenary Celebrations. He is a former Patron and Chair of CARE Australia and is currently a member of that international aid organization's Advisory Board.
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