Head of State rejects sex abuse cover-up claims

Governor-General Hollingworth was appointed by Britain's Queen Elizabeth on the advice of Prime Minister John Howard

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The Governor-General of Australia, Peter Hollingworth, has defended allegations he covered up and condoned incidences of child sex abuse when he was the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.

Hollingworth, who holds the highest office in Australia and is appointed by the Queen of England, replied to the allegations in a television program Monday night and plans to issue a detailed statement on Wednesday.

The Governor-General is accused of trying to discourage a sex-abuse victim from going to police and also dismissing sex abuse claims against a priest whom he later appointed to a church's sexual abuse committee.

Another allegation involves Hollingworth allowing a bishop who admitted to him of having sexual relations with a girl, reportedly 14 years old, when he was still a priest, to continue preaching.

Hollingworth suggested Monday evening it was the girl who had precipitated the relationship and that she was believed older than the 14 years claimed.

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However, that bishop was promptly banned from officiating in the Anglican church once Hollingworth stepped down as archbishop.

Hollingworth remained defiant in the face of his critics, rejecting suggestion he step down as Governor-General.

"I have another four years to serve as Governor-General and, believe me, I am going to do that," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Monday.

"If certain persons and certain organizations wish to keep up this campaign, and I call it that, of innuendo, of allegation, against me, then that is something I and my family are going to have to live with, but live with it we will," he said.

Let down

Hollingworth has also been under fire for not giving enough support for victims of sexual abuse which occurred in an Anglican school under his jurisdiction in the 1990s and for putting legal and insurance considerations ahead of the needs of the victims.

In the case of the school abuse, Hollingworth admitted he had "not been up to job" and said if the victims felt let down by him in this matter, then they had been.

As Australia is a constitutional monarchy, the Governor-General is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth and is appointed by her, and sacked by her, on the advice of the Australian prime minister.

While it is largely a symbolic role, the Governor-General does have the power to sack the government in certain circumstances, as happened in 1975 when then Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the government of Gough Whitlam.