ABC’s embarrassing embarrassment as news anchor confuses Albo’s fiancée Jodie Haydon with Australia’s new Governor-General Sam Mostyn

By Brittany Chain, political correspondent for the Daily Mail Australia and Aap

01:46 01 Jul 2024, updated 05:29 01 Jul 2024

The ABC has suffered an embarrassing error in the run-up to the swearing-in of Australia’s new governor-general.

ABC News presenter Gemma Veness has mistaken Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s fiancée Jodie Haydon for his wife of the moment Sam Mostyn.

Ms Haydon left parliament on Monday morning alongside Mr Albanese to greet waiting media.

But as the footage rolled in, Veness told viewers: “We can see Sam Mostyn on our screens now arriving in Canberra for this swearing-in ceremony.”

A moment later, as the duo approached the cameras, Veness realised her mistake and corrected herself, adding: “Actually, my apologies… that’s actually Jodie Haydon.”

Later in the Senate, Ms Mostyn was seen smiling as she entered just as the swearing-in ceremony was about to begin.

Last week, the government passed legislation to provide the governor general with an annual salary of $709,000, $200,000 more than his predecessor.

The reason for the $200,000 increase follows the constitutional requirement that the Governor General’s remuneration cannot be changed during his or her five-year term and is set based on the remuneration of the Chief Justice of the High Court.

The wage increase sparked outrage from the Coalition and the Greens, who were accused of failing to deliver in the midst of a cost of living crisis, but it eventually passed parliament without much difficulty.

On Monday, politicians from both major parties packed the Senate to watch Ms. Mostyn, a prominent Republican, swear “to be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, his heirs and successors according to law.”

Ms Mostyn promised to be “an optimistic, modern and visible governor general” who would “strike a balance between respect for tradition and protocol and a resolutely contemporary attitude.”

She revealed that at the end of May she travelled to England to spend time with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

“I took the opportunity of this private meeting to convey the best wishes of Australians for his health and that of the Princess of Wales,” she said.

“I am not the first Australian to be struck by the interest and warmth the King feels for this country where he lived and studied as a young man.

“Mr Prime Minister, all of you here, all Australians, I am ready and able to take on the role you have entrusted to me.”

Ms Mostyn said since her appointment she had taken to the road to speak to ordinary Australians, as well as meet senior politicians, former governors-general and business leaders.

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“I stand here today as the 28th Governor-General of Australia, acutely aware of this great honour and privilege,” Ms Mostyn said at the ceremony in the Senate Chamber.

“When you announced my appointment as Prime Minister, you said you saw a modern, optimistic Governor-General who could unite and celebrate the best of Australia.

“Over the past few months, since I accepted this position, I have thought deeply about your words.

“I had to ask myself many questions about the role and impact of the position of Governor General in 2024.

“I decided there was only one way to answer these questions: to get out there and listen to people. Listen carefully to those who have unique experiences and perspectives.”

Mr Albanese appointed the businesswoman, lawyer and former AFL commissioner for a five-year term, replacing former defence chief David Hurley, to become Australia’s 28th governor-general.

Her appointment makes her the second woman after Dame Quentin Bryce to hold the post.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Mr Albanese said Ms Mostyn would bring “dignity, compassion, hard work and integrity” to her role.

“She grew up in a military family here in Canberra, she has also worked in business and sport in the not-for-profit sector,” he said.

“She is an eminently qualified woman and I believe she will be an exceptional leader for our nation.”

Her lengthy CV highlights her achievements, including being the first woman in Australia to be appointed commissioner of the AFL, where she championed the creation of the women’s competition.

She has also held positions with Reconciliation Australia, Beyond Blue, the Australia Council for the Art and the National Mental Health Commission.

In her most recent role, she chaired the federal government’s Task Force on Women’s Economic Equality.

But his appointment was not without controversy, in addition to the controversy surrounding his massive pay raise.

Her nomination was labeled “woke” by conservative critics who decried her long history of identity politics. Before her nomination, she deleted her social media presence from the internet.

She supported the Voice referendum, describing herself as “completely out of touch” when it was resoundingly rejected, and had also described Australia Day as an “invasion day” in a now-deleted social media post discovered by Daily Mail Australia.

The banner image for his X account was, for a long time, a poster that declared: “We support the Uluru Statement.”