We’ll be a republic within the decade, says Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch says Australia will be a republic in the next 10 years. ‘Without a doubt. It’s going to happen.’
Australia will become a republic within the next decade, according to Rupert Murdoch, who predicts the ongoing debate surrounding the controversial issue is likely to “evolve” in coming years to the point where the idea of shedding the monarchy is widely supported.
Mr Murdoch has long been in favour of Australia becoming republic, and has reiterated his belief that such a move would be beneficial to the nation in a series of interviews to mark the 60th anniversary of The Australian newspaper on July 15.
Interviewer Paul Whittaker, the chief executive of Sky News Australia and a former editor-in-chief of The Australian, asked Mr Murdoch if he thinks Australia will become a republic by the time of The Australian’s 70th birthday.
“Without a doubt. It’s going to evolve,” Mr Murdoch says.
“It’s going to happen.”
Mr Murdoch recalls how John Howard, who was prime minister at the time of the 1999 republic referendum and a staunch monarchist, engineered the wording of the referendum question in such a way that favoured his desired outcome.
“John Howard, who’s old fashioned and therefore a monarchist I guess, was very clever the way he designed the question that was put to people,” he says.
Mr Murdoch, now chairman emeritus of News Corp and Fox Corporation, was memorably vocal about the issue at the time of the referendum, 25 years ago.
In a story on the front page of The Australian on November 3, 1999 – three days before the referendum – Mr Murdoch was quoted as saying: “The British monarchy has become irrelevant to this generation of Australians.
“It’s not just a question of the monarchy, it’s a question of whether Australia has any self-confidence.
“Of course it can be interdependent on other countries. It has traditions and historical ties, but that is very different from constitutional or legal ties.”
Former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott are interviewed as part of the documentary to mark this masthead’s six decades, and retain their opposition to Mr Murdoch’s stance on the republic.
Mr Howard says: “The Oz was strongly in favour of that (a republic). Still is; fair enough. They’re wrong, but anyway, leave that aside.”
Mr Abbott says: “I hope that at some time in the future, The Australian might decide that just as the High Court is no longer bound by its own precedents, that perhaps the paper is no longer bound by this particular precedent, should the issue ever come up again.”
Whittaker also probes Mr Murdoch on last year’s failed referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
“Well, I’m a long way away. I understand the motive, but it (the voice) struck me as something which would end up being divisive, without really achieving anything for the Aboriginals. So from what little I know about it, I certainly welcome the result,” says Mr Murdoch, who expresses great pride in The Australian’s coverage of Indigenous issues over the past six decades.
Reflecting on The Australian’s coverage of the Vietnam War, Mr Murdoch suggests the newspaper was perhaps too critical of the government’s decision to send Australian troops to support America in Vietnam.
Mr Murdoch says in hindsight, Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War entrenched the nation’s reputation “as a good ally” of the US.
The Australian: 60 Years of News, Monday 15 July 8pm AEST. Stream at skynews.com.au
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