Governor-General Sam Mostyn has revealed her disappointment about the sometimes “vile” comments she attracts when she uses social media to support charities or explain her constitutional role.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian to mark a new report on women and philanthropy, she said she had no regrets about using social media such as Facebook and Instagram to modernise the role of Governor-General.
But she admitted to concerns about the reactions she sometimes provokes.
“I have always entered the public sphere of storytelling and sharing with respect for everybody,” she said.
“What disappoints me is that no matter what the post is that I put up, particularly on Facebook … is the lack of respect for others, for the organisations I’m often supporting, for social cohesion … the freedom with which people feel they can be really ghastly. As a woman, I receive a highly directed and targeted form of attack, often on social media.”
The Governor-General said the negative comments were usually anonymous but the language was “appalling, disrespectful”.
“It is very disappointing when you see really horrible, vile attacks that come from people who use that platform for other purposes,” she said.
“And that worries me because I think the great risk to our social cohesion project in this country is a collision of apathy with disinformation – people just thinking they can check out of respect and say things and do things, often anonymously, that really don’t reflect Australian values at all.
“There are some pretty wild things said about me, about a woman in this job. But I’ve said this many times in the public sphere – I’d really like to sit down with those people and have the conversation respectfully …”
Ms Mostyn said that as she travelled around the country she saw great examples of social cohesion and community.
“I think we are stronger than the stories we tell ourselves publicly or through various media,” she said. “But there is a big warning in all of this, and that is, it’s fragile, and … when the conversation starts to take a turn that says we’re fraying, or that we are not cohesive and not solid, then that can become a narrative, if that’s the one we choose to believe.”
The Governor-General said the philanthropy report prepared by the She Gives campaign was a unique project to change the conversation about philanthropy via a campaign begun 18 months ago by CEO Melissa Smith.
The report, which surveyed 2000 women across Australia about how and why they donate time and money to charities and not-for-profits, will be launched at Admiralty House in Sydney on Tuesday.
Ms Mostyn said philanthropy was often misunderstood as “somewhat elite” and this caused some women to feel their giving was not as relevant as donations by wealthy people, for example.
“We’ve seen philanthropy historically (in a way) that didn’t often tell women’s stories and didn’t show the extraordinary amount of giving that was going on, not just to women’s issues, but women in very significant families who were playing a very big role in the direction of giving,” she said.
Ms Mostyn called for more women to be nominated for Australian Honours as a way of recognising that giving.
“Women don’t really put themselves out to be nominated, and men nominate men more often than men nominate women,” she said. “Women often are the unseen builders of community … and we need intentional behaviour and intentional action (to honour that role).”
Ms Smith said the dominant image of philanthropy was of “an older white man sitting on a couch announcing a big gift”, but this was very different to the way female donors saw themselves.
“What we learned from over 2000 women in this report is that women are driven because they want to make an impact, they want to make a difference, they want to give back,” she said. “They are not motivated by societal expectations or tax (breaks).”
Ms Smith said women’s giving was under recognised: “It’s undervalued, and it’s vastly unrealised in its potential. (But) women struggle with identifying themselves as philanthropists, which is why we call it She Gives to make it much more accessible because
philanthropy seems quite elitist, quite male-dominated.”
She said women give significantly to social welfare and health projects as well as domestic violence prevention.
“What is very, very clear is that women don’t see their giving in black and white terms,” Ms Smith said. “It’s very much a part of their identity, who they are, how they connect with the community. It’s a way of seeking to have a level of control and influence within a chaotic world, and to feel part of a broader community seeking to create this change. And that was one of the things that we found loud and clear - women like to give collectively, collaboratively, rather than individually.”
Originally reported in The Australian on February 23, 2026
