The Lieutenant Governor

Dr James Muecke AM

Lieutenant Governor of South Australia

Dr James Muecke AM, Lieutenant Governor of South Australia, is an Adelaide-based eye doctor, and was sworn in as South Australia’s Lieutenant Governor on January 27, 2022.

Dr James Muecke graduated with Honours from the University of Adelaide Medical School in 1988.

Following his internship, Dr Muecke lived and worked as a doctor in Africa and subsequently as an eye surgeon in the Middle East, battling malaria, wild animals, and rebel soldiers.

He returned to South Australia in 1998, where he served as a Visiting Consultant and Senior Lecturer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Women’s and Children’s Hospital until his retirement.

Dr Muecke established the Ocular Oncology Units at the two medical centres on his return.

In 2008, Dr Muecke founded the not-for-profit organisation Sight For All, which focuses on collaborative eye health projects in key communities and countries.

His commitment to social impact and humanitarian endeavours has earned him a number of awards including an Order of Australia in 2012, the Australian Medical Association’s President’s Leadership Award in 2013, and Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur for Australia in 2015.

In 2020, Dr Muecke received the South Australian Australian of the Year Award in recognition of his humanitarian work.