Linda Marion Dessau AC CVO (born 8 May 1953[1]) is an Australian jurist and barrister who served as the 29th governor of Victoria from 2015 to 2023.

[4] Dessau spent time in Israel as a young woman, including several months as a kibbutznik at Sdot Yam.

[11] Dessau was a member of the Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria from August 2013, resigning on 27 March 2015 following the announcement of her appointment as governor.

[14] Announcing a three-year extension to her five year term in 2019, the premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, said of Dessau and her husband, “Through their tireless work they have wonderfully represented and celebrated our diverse community and its achievements at home and internationally, while making Government House a more open, accessible and inclusive place.”[15] On 1 November 2021, Dessau succeeded Queensland governor Paul de Jersey as the longest-serving incumbent state governor.

Although she had received a commission to act as Administrator of the Commonwealth in the absence of the governor-general of Australia following her appointment in 2016,[16] it was only after becoming the longest-serving state governor in 2021 that she was routinely called on to fulfill that role.

[17] La Trobe University's 2022 honorary doctorate citation said, "As Governor, she has carried out her constitutional responsibilities and ceremonial duties with distinction and worked tirelessly in the community and international engagement activities.