Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says new Governor-General Quentin Bryce is free to comment on public issues of interest, even if they are politically controversial.
Ms Bryce shouldn't be secured in some sort of ivory case precluded from making personal observations about priorities, he said.
"I mean, the previous governor-general had strong positions, for example, on the environment and would often speak on that and on indigenous policy," Mr Rudd told Fairfax.
"I am sure this current governor-general will do the same in areas of personal priority for herself."
Ms Bryce this week backed paid maternity leave, declaring support for parents was absolutely vital for strengthening families.
Australia committed to paid maternity leave when it ratified the United Nations convention against sex discrimination in 1984, she said.
The government has yet to commit itself to introducing a paid maternity leave scheme recommended by the Productivity Commission in a draft report following its public inquiry.