The appointment of Samuels as Governor of New South Wales in 1996 was followed by some controversy, not because of any doubt about his qualifications, but because of the accompanying announcement by the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr. On 16 January 1996 Carr announced that the next Governor would be Samuels, that he would not live or work at Government House, Sydney and that he would retain his appointment as Chairman of the New South Wales Law Reform Commission. On these changes, Carr said: "The Office of the Governor should be less associated with pomp and ceremony, less encumbered by anachronistic protocol, more in tune with the character of the people." This decision was seen by conservatives as an attempt by Carr, a republican, to downgrade the importance of the office of governor.