‘Inevitable’ Australia will become a republic: new high commissioner to the UK

Weeks before his coronation, the new king might be hoping for a surge in popularity but he’s been told to expect the opposite from Australia.

It is “inevitable” Australia will become a republic and dump Charles III as king.

That’s the opinion of former foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith who has just taken up the plum new role of Australian high commissioner to the UK.

But Mr Smith gave no timeline for when a new republic referendum might take place and said there was “affection” and “respect” for the King.

Talking to London newspaper The Times as he starts the ambassadorial role following Labor’s election victory, Mr Smith said severing formal ties to the House of Windsor would not damage relations between the UK and Australia.

Australia’s King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, greet wellwishers from the balcony of the city Hall, in Hamburg, northern Germany on March 31, 2023. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

The royal family has had a tumultuous few years with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moving to California and being openly critical of the institution, as well as the death of the Queen and accession of King Charles.

Labor politicians, generally, are more pro-republic than Liberal MPs. Although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the coronation on May 6.

The impact of the Sussexes split from the royal rump has been going on for several years tarnishing the institution.

Currently 15 of the 56 Commonwealth nations share a head of state in Charles III. These include the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Belize.

The countries are all sovereign states and Britain has no jurisdiction over them, despite the monarch residing in the UK.

Even if Australia became a republic, it could still remain a part of the Commonwealth.

High commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom Stephen Smith was once Australia’s foreign minister.

“There is a lot of affection and respect for the monarchy in Australia,” Mr Smith told The Times.

“That affection and respect hasn’t gone away because of Australia contemplating from time to time what it should do about its constitutional arrangements.”

Mr Smith, who is a republican, said ditching the royals was only a matter of time.

“My personal view is it’s inevitable. But how that’s progressed is entirely a matter for the Australian government of the day.

“Australia does not have referendums on an all too regular basis,” Mr Smith said.

“Whether down the track there is a future referendum associated with Australia and the UK’s constitutional arrangements, only time will tell.”

King Charles III meets PM Anthony Albanese when the monarch received Commonwealth realm prime ministers following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau / POOL / AFP)

Support for republic shaky

A survey from pollsters Roy Morgan in September found support for becoming a republic had dropped in Australia with 60 per cent of people keen to hang onto the royal ties. However that poll was taken in the wake of the Queen’s death.

Mr Albanese has said that a republic referendum won’t happen during the current term of his prime ministership as the priority is a vote on the Voice to parliament.

But assistant minister for the republic of Australia Matt Thistlethwaite said it was a possibility in a second term if Labor were to be re-elected.

“Australians have always been willing to look to ways to improve our system of government and improve our country and our nation,” he told news organisation Aljazeera in November.

“This is an opportunity for us to build a new system to select our head of state and at the same time improve the rights of citizens in the choices that we have but also strengthen the democracy we have.”

Originally published as ‘Inevitable’ Australia will become a republic: new high commissioner to the UK