On Friday 14 November 2008, at Government House, Sydney, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO presided at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

On Thursday 13 November 2008, at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Ryde, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, as Patron, attended a morning tea to mark the work of the New South Wales Developmental Disability Health Unit.

On Wednesday 12 November 2008, at The Justice & Police Museum, Sydney, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, as Patron, presented Benefactor Awards on behalf of The Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research.

On Tuesday 11 November 2008, at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE attended the 2008 Remembrance Day Ceremony, at which the Administrator and Sir Nicholas laid a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance, laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and afterwards met with the families of those Servicemen whose names have recently been added to the Roll of Honour.

On Monday 10 November 2008, at Government House, Sydney, the Administrator Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE, hosted a Services' Reception for members of the Australian Defence Force, the NSW Police Service, the NSW Fire Brigade, the Department of Rural Fire Services, the Department of Corrective Services, the Ambulance Service of NSW, St John Ambulance Australia (NSW), the State Emergency Service, the Royal Australian Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

On Sunday 9 November 2008, at Waterloo, Sydney, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, delivered an Address at the 15th Birthday Celebrations of The Luncheon Club AIDS Support Group Inc.

On Saturday 8 November 2008, at Villers-Bretonneux, France, the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC and Mr Michael Bryce AM AE, as guests of the Pr?”fet de la Somme, Mr Henri-Michel Comet and the Australian representative of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Mr Doug Sainsbury, visited the Australian National Monument.

On Friday 7 November 2008, at St Peters Public School, Sydney, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, as Patron, attended celebrations to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Multicultural Home Visiting and Dementia Support Service.

On Thursday 6 November 2008, in Sydney, the Administrator, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO delivered the opening address at the New South Wales Aboriginal Mental Health Workers' Forum.

Earlier, the Proclamation assuming the Administration of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia was signed by the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO. In the evening, at the Sydney Opera House, the Administrator attended the 2008 City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture, delivered by Mr Patrick Dodson. In the afternoon, at Sydney International Airport, the Governor-General was represented at the departure from Australia of the King of Tonga, His Majesty King George Tupou, by Colonel William Monfries ADC, an Honorary Aide-de-Camp.