Former Australian governor-general Sir Ninian Stephen, who worked on the Northern Ireland peace talks and served on the International Court of Justice, has died in Melbourne aged 94.

Key points: Sir Ninian Stephen remembered for representing "the very best of Australia"

Sir Ninian Stephen remembered for representing "the very best of Australia" Was a High Court judge and governor-general

Was a High Court judge and governor-general Also lead Northern Ireland peace talks, helped draft Afghanistan constitution

Government House announced the death of Sir Ninian, who served in the role from 1982 to 1989, on Sunday.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove said Australia "was a better place due to his service", and that Sir Ninian would be "most warmly remembered".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced plans for a state funeral, saying there were very few honours that Sir Ninian, who held five separate knighthoods, didn't have to his name.

Mr Turnbull said Sir Ninian brought a "gentle dignity to the role" and represented "the very best of Australia".

"Australia will remember Sir Ninian for his humility, his intellect, and his lifelong commitment to justice and the rule of law," he said in a statement.

Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek noted Sir Ninian's "remarkable contribution to the fabric of our nation".

"In the uniform of our country, in the courts of our land and on the world stage, Sir Ninian Stephen embodied the very best traditions of duty and service," she said.

'He served a wider world'

Australia's only immigrant governor-general was born in Britain and arrived in Melbourne in 1940 aged 17, where he studied to become a lawyer before joining the Australia Imperial Force.

He was an infantryman during World War Two, serving in New Guinea and Borneo.

Sir Ninian later served on the High Court, as an international judge, and an ambassador and a peacemaker.

In 1982, then-prime minister Malcolm Fraser chose him to replace Zelman Cowen as governor-general.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Stephen, Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Ninian Stephen at Government House in Canberra, 1982. ( AAP: National Archives of the Hawke Government )

Sir Ninian stepped down in 1989 to become Australia's first ambassador for the environment, under Bob Hawke. He worked hard to ban mining in Antarctica.

In 1992, the British and Irish governments chose Sir Ninian to head a new round of peace talks in Northern Ireland.

He was also a judge for the International Criminal Tribunal investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

Approaching his 80s, Sir Ninian remained in demand, advising on South Africa's constitution and helping negotiate a way through a political impasse in Bangladesh.

He worked for the International Labour Organisation in Burma and was involved in setting up a tribunal to hear cases involving atrocities committed by the genocidal Khmer Rouge "killing fields" regime of 1975-79.

He also helped draft a constitution for Afghanistan after the 2001 ouster of the Taliban.

At his 80th birthday dinner, former High Court judge Michael Kirby said "serving Australia was not enough for Ninian Stephen".

"He went beyond and served a wider world," he said.

Sir Ninian's family has accepted Mr Turnbull's offer of a state funeral.

ABC/wires