# Canonical recap data for Peter Hollingworth (2003)
# Source: https://recap.at/2003/peter-hollingworth
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: peter-hollingworth
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2003/peter-hollingworth"
title: Peter Hollingworth
aliases:
- Hollingworth resignation
- Peter Hollingworth scandal
- 2003 Governor-General crisis
subtitle: "On this day (05/28), 23 years ago: Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2003-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2003
decade: 2000
summaryShort: Peter John Hollingworth was an Australian bishop who served as Governor-General of Australia from 2001 until his resignation in 2003. He had previously held the position of Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane from 1989 to 2001.
summaryLong: Peter John Hollingworth was an Australian bishop who served as Governor-General of Australia from 2001 until his resignation in 2003. He had previously held the position of Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane from 1989 to 2001.
lede: Peter Hollingworth, Australia's Governor-General since 2001, resigned in May 2003 after a public scandal over his handling of child sexual abuse cases during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. The crisis forced a sitting head of state out of office in the middle of his term.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg/1280px-Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Peter Hollingworth"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Position held
  value: Governor-General of Australia
- label: Tenure as Governor-General
  value: 2001–2003
- label: Previous role
  value: Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
- label: Archbishop tenure
  value: 1989–2001
- label: Resignation month
  value: May 2003
- label: Core issue
  value: Mishandling of child sexual abuse complaints
timeline:
- date: 1989-01-01
  title: Hollingworth becomes Archbishop of Brisbane
  description: Peter Hollingworth takes up the position of Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, beginning a 12-year tenure.
- date: 2001-06-29
  title: Appointed Governor-General
  description: Hollingworth is appointed Governor-General of Australia, the highest viceregal office in the nation.
- date: 2002-03-01
  title: Allegations emerge
  description: Public reports surface detailing Hollingworth's handling of child sexual abuse cases within the Brisbane diocese during his time as Archbishop.
- date: 2003-05-14
  title: Hollingworth resigns
  description: Following sustained pressure and media scrutiny, Hollingworth announces his resignation as Governor-General, effective immediately.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hollingworth"
  title: Peter Hollingworth
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Sydney Morning Herald
  publisherSlug: sydney-morning-herald
  headline: Hollingworth Resigns as Governor-General Over Child Abuse Handling
  publishedAt: 2003-05-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Peter Hollingworth announced his resignation as Governor-General after intense pressure over his handling of child abuse allegations during his time as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. The decision came following weeks of public and political scrutiny into his management of abuse cases in the 1990s.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: Australia
- publisher: BBC News
  publisherSlug: bbc-news
  headline: Australia's Governor-General Quits Over Abuse Scandal
  publishedAt: 2003-05-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Peter Hollingworth, who held the ceremonial post since 2001, stepped down after mounting criticism regarding his response to child sexual abuse complaints within the Anglican Church during his Brisbane tenure.
  significance: 78
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Australian
  publisherSlug: the-australian
  headline: "End of the Hollingworth Era: Archbishop-Turned-Governor Resigns in Disgrace"
  publishedAt: 2003-05-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: After two years as Governor-General marked by controversy, Peter Hollingworth's resignation closes a chapter that exposed serious questions about institutional accountability in the Anglican Church.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Australia
- publisher: The Age
  publisherSlug: the-age
  headline: Pressure Mounts as Church and State Collide - Hollingworth's Fall
  publishedAt: 2003-05-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The resignation triggered broader debate about the separation of ecclesiastical authority and vice-regal office, with critics questioning how Hollingworth's troubled record was not more thoroughly examined before his 2001 appointment.
  significance: 82
  type: newspaper
  region: Australia
- publisher: Reuters
  publisherSlug: reuters
  headline: Australia's Governor-General Resigns Following Child Abuse Handling Row
  publishedAt: 2003-05-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Peter Hollingworth, Australia's ceremonial head of state, resigned after revelations that he had failed to adequately respond to allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy members during his leadership of the Brisbane Anglican diocese.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: International
peoplesVoice:
- source: Kevin Foley, South Australian abuse survivor and campaigner
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Hollingworth faced mounting pressure from abuse survivors after his handling of complaints against clergy came under scrutiny in 2002-2003.
  excerpt: He simply wasn't fit to hold the office. The Governor-General should represent the nation's values, and he failed survivors of institutional abuse.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - survivor testimony to media, 2003
  publishedAt: 2003-05-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
  voiceType: official
  context: Howard accepted Hollingworth's resignation on 18 May 2003, following weeks of public and political pressure over his past handling of abuse allegations.
  excerpt: The Governor-General has decided to resign. I respect that decision and thank him for his service to the nation.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 90
  attribution: Prime ministerial statement, Parliament House, Canberra
  publishedAt: 2003-05-18
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Marian Sawer, political scientist and governance expert
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Analysts assessed the damage to institutional trust and the precedent set by a Governor-General's resignation under duress.
  excerpt: This represents a watershed moment for Australian constitutional office - that public pressure and media scrutiny can force out a sitting Governor-General.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - academic commentary, 2003
  publishedAt: 2003-05-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Paul Kelly, senior journalist and political commentator
  voiceType: media
  context: Kelly assessed the broader implications of Hollingworth's fall for the Howard government and institutional credibility during the resignation crisis.
  excerpt: Hollingworth's resignation exposes how poorly some of our senior institutions have handled child abuse - it's a reckoning that extends far beyond one man.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 80
  attribution: The Australian, editorial analysis
  publishedAt: 2003-05-19
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Gerald Henderson, social commentator and former Liberal strategist
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Conservative voices questioned whether Hollingworth had been treated fairly given the intensity of media scrutiny and activist campaigns.
  excerpt: The media campaign against Hollingworth was relentless and at times unfair - but once public confidence eroded, his position became untenable.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - opinion commentary, 2003
  publishedAt: 2003-05-22
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg/1280px-Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg/800px-Dr_Peter_Hollingworth.jpg"
  caption: Peter Hollingworth
  credit: Wikipedia · "Peter Hollingworth"
  width: 330
  height: 462
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7339722.jpg/1280px-Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7339722.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7339722.jpg/800px-Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7339722.jpg"
  caption: Hollingworth Lake - geograph.org.uk - 7339722
  credit: Peter McDermott
  width: 6000
  height: 4000
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Hollingworth_Lake_vista_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2326789.jpg/1280px-Hollingworth_Lake_vista_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2326789.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Hollingworth_Lake_vista_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2326789.jpg/800px-Hollingworth_Lake_vista_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2326789.jpg"
  caption: Hollingworth Lake vista - geograph.org.uk - 2326789
  credit: Peter Whatley
  width: 2048
  height: 1536
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4950269.jpg/1280px-Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4950269.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4950269.jpg/800px-Hollingworth_Lake_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4950269.jpg"
  caption: Hollingworth Lake - geograph.org.uk - 4950269
  credit: Peter McDermott
  width: 5118
  height: 2114
impactStatement: Hollingworth's forced departure marked a rare removal of a sitting Governor-General and exposed serious failures in institutional accountability within the Anglican Church. The scandal reshaped how Australia's viceregal office handled reputational risk and forced a national reckoning with clerical abuse.
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20040405204530/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Peter_Hollingworth"
  capturedAt: 2004-04-05
  label: Peter Hollingworth
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hollingworth"
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: religious
eventTypes:
- religious_revival
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
- governance
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: accidental
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: decline
metaDescription: Peter Hollingworth resigned as Governor-General in 2003 after child abuse allegations emerged from his time as Archbishop.
wikidataQid: Q1354229
