On Sunday he announced that David Hurley would get the top job, enshrining his captain’s call in advance of the federal election. But there is one other thing Scott Morrison has enshrined in the consciousness of Australians. And that’s his view that only those who look and sound just like him deserve the elite positions in our society.

I know you are thinking what a great bloke David Hurley is. He’s been a successful governor of NSW for four years and is well-liked by the community. As the Herald reports, he will take up the position in Canberra next year to replace Sir Peter Cosgrove, whose term will be extended to ensure a smooth transition over the NSW and federal elections early next year.

However, the governor before him in NSW, Marie Bashir, was more than well-liked. She was an advocate for health, a woman who campaigned for equality, a medical doctor whose work in the community was garlanded well before she was elevated to the role of governor.

She was replaced by a soldier. Hurley, formerly the chief of the defence force, served for 42 years in the army.

Morrison should have given the next government a chance to regroup and make a big, bold choice. Hurley is too safe, too similar, too male, too white. We know there is absolutely nothing wrong with Hurley. No scandals are yet to emerge (and they would have by now).

The big problem is that just he does not reflect the Australia we live in. We need someone who represents our diversity. Hurley’s appointment shows a complete lack of imagination, the same lack of imagination and nuance and sophistication which drove Morrison to make his comments about Pamela Anderson. Poor old Kelly O’Dwyer had to step in and apologise.

Morrison has spent time since his overthrow of Prime Minister Turnbull telling us how his party will do better, that it needs to do better, when it comes to recruiting women to the Liberal Party, to preselections, to the backbench and to the front bench. But the very first chance he gets to show Australian women and girls, to show his own daughters, that he means business, he fails.

I’d love to ask Hurley, a man of some discretion and kindness, to reject Morrison’s offer but I know it’s hard to turn down the big prize. There aren’t too many who could reject the power and the glory. It is the status position in Australia, a chance to wave wands and sprinkle honours. It would be hard to say no and, in fact, it then puts all the responsibility into the hands of the individual.

Instead, Morrison should have consulted widely. Perhaps he could have asked us about our values before making this appointment. What we think and feel about the kind of people we want to represent us, who we want to see elevated and admired.

I asked the brilliant women at Honour A Woman, the group which seeks to redress the shocking gender imbalance in our honours. The Governor-General is ultimately responsible for our Orders of Australia. The Honour A Woman team is far too sensible to express their irritation at yet another white soldier appointed to the job. Instead, they hope he will work towards their goals.

Ruth McGowan, of HAW, says she looks forward to Hurley championing gender equality in the Australian honours when he takes office so that we can reach the goal of 50 per cent of awards going to women by 2020. “We seek genuine action to remove decades of structural barriers that stand in the way of fairly recognising the contribution of outstanding Australian women at this highest level.”

The saddest aspect of Morrison’s choice is resorting to the military as if its members are the only people who understand process and protocols. Three of the last four governors-general have been from the military which shows Morrison prefers history and privilege to shape our future. But these military men are not representative of Australia in any way shape or form and their knowledge of structural barriers would be theoretical at best.

The typical Australian is a woman. Let’s hope Hurley does the right thing and chucks it in soon and recommends his successor be drawn from their number. That would be one way of honouring a woman.

Jenna Price is an academic at the University of Technology Sydney.