The British queen's representative in Australia has resigned following rape accusations and separate allegations that he did not act against child-abusing clergy when he was an Anglican Church archbishop in the 1990s.
Governor General Peter Hollingworth, who stepped aside earlier this month, denied any wrongdoing, but the scandals meant he should quit permanently.
"Despite the misplaced and unwarranted allegations made against me as Governor General, it is clear that continuing public controversy has the potential to undermine and diminish my capacity to uphold the importance, dignity and integrity of this high office," Mr Hollingworth said in a statement issued in Sydney.
"It is with deep regret and after much thought that I have today advised the Prime Minister that I wish to resign from the office of Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia," he added.
Mr Hollingworth (68) has been under intense pressure to quit because of unproven accusations that he raped a woman 40 years ago.
An Anglican church inquiry also found that while he was archbishop of Brisbane a decade ago, he had allowed a known pedophile to continue working as a priest. He has admitted "errors in judgment" from the priest scandal.
A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he would comment publicly comment on the matter tomorrow.
"The Governor General has obviously spoken to the Prime Minister over the weekend but this was the Governor General's decision," said the spokesman.
The Governor General's post is mostly symbolic. He signs laws passed by the Australian Parliament and is named as commander in chief in the constitution.
However, the post also holds potentially sweeping constitutional powers, including the ability to dismiss a government and premier. That has happened only once - in 1975, then Governor General Sir John Kerr fired the government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and called fresh elections after the Senate refused to pass the government's budget.
AP