Lord Stonehaven arrived in Australia in October 1925 . He quickly established good relations with Bruce , with whom he had much in common . But , like his predecessor , he found that Australian Prime Ministers no longer wanted a Governor-General acting as an Imperial overseer , or as a representative of the British government , but merely as discreet figureheads . The 1926 Imperial Conference in London recognised the '' de facto '' independence of the Dominions , and ended the role of the Governors-General as diplomats and as channels of communication between governments . From now on the Governor-General 's sole role was to be a personal representative of the Crown
1926 Imperial Conference
1926 Imperial Conference
John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven