Hickey was installed as Archbishop of Perth on 27 August 1991. In 1994 he addressed the National Press Club, talking about the release of the new Catholic Catechism. During his tenure as archbishop, Hickey is credited with the significant physical change achieved through the re-building and completion of St Mary's Cathedral, Perth. On attaining retirement age of 75 years in April 2011, Hickey tendered his resignation as archbishop to Pope Benedict XVI, which was accepted on 20 February 2012 when Hickey's successor, Timothy Costelloe, was announced. Hickey is Knight Commander with Star and Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of Australia Western of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Public stances
Hickey has challenged secularisation tendencies in the community. As an example, in 2010 he publicly questioned the lack of religious orientation of Julia Gillard, not long after her appointment as Prime Minister of Australia. He claimed that her atheism may cost her votes.
On 5 June 2007 Hickey made a controversial statement by saying that if the Western Australian members of parliament who identified as Catholic did not oppose the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill, which would allow expansion of stem cell research, then they could be refused holy communion or face excommunication as a last resort. Catholic and non-Catholic members of parliament criticised Hickey for this stance. Hickey reportedly said that he did not consider that he had made a threat. He also later said that he would not refuse communion.
Theological writing
After a holiday in Jerusalem in the mid-2000s Hickey authored a book, Living Biblically, that encouraged a return to the use and reading of the bible. Hickey chose the title based on an article in The Tablet where the author had written about his experience of the charismatic movement in the United Kingdom. In separate writings, Hickey shows his support and encouragement of the charismatic movement.
Honours
Hickey was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1982 for service to the community. In 1998, Pope John Paul II named him Relator Generalis for the Oceania Synod in Rome. The government of Western Australia appointed Hickey to the Homeless Persons' Advisory Committee and the Western Australia Ethnic Affairs Advisory Committee. The Commonwealth government appointed him to the Board of the Institute of Family Studies and as a Member of the Australian Citizenship Council.
