Malcolm Turnbull meets the Queen in London
The former leader of Australia’s republican movement admits he never imagined standing before the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
As the leader of Australia’s republican movement 20 years ago, Malcolm Turnbull admits he never imagined he would one day stand before the Queen at Buckingham Palace as Prime Minister.
“No, I don’t think I did imagine that,” Mr Turnbull said last night, ahead of his first meeting with Australia’s monarch on English soil as Prime Minister.
“But as I’ve said politics is full of unpredictable events … all I can say is that most Australian republicans are Elizabethans as well.”
Mr Turnbull met the Queen late on Tuesday night before leaving for Australia.
For the occasion, the Queen wore a jewelled wattle brooch, presented to her by Australia during her tour in 1954.
Speaking before the meeting, Mr Turnbull refused to reveal whether he would raise the Dismissal letters.
Noting that discussions always remained confidential, he declined also to say whether he would raise a future Australian republic.
Mr Turnbull first met the Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015.
On Tuesday he praised the Queen for a life of tireless public service.
“The Queen has embodied selfless public service, dignity, wisdom, leadership for longer and more magnificently than anyone alive today,” he said.
“She’s been a remarkable leader of the UK and the Commonwealth, she has been our head of Australia for all that time.
“I’ll be honoured to meet her as Australia’s Prime Minister, to share my thoughts about Australia and hear what she has to say.”
Mr Turnbull, who co-founded the Australian Republican Movement, has publicly stated he would like to see an Australian as head of state but such a change would not be supported during the Queen’s reign.
ARM is pressing for a national vote in 2020 on whether people want an Australian head of state and how one should be chosen.
This would be followed by a full referendum in 2022 to change the constitution.
Mr Turnbull said in a speech in December his preferred model was an advisory plebiscite offering a choice between two republican models — most likely direct election and parliamentary appointment. Once the model is chosen at the plebiscite, the parliament would formulate the amendment and present it at a referendum.
ARM said the prime minister should make clear to the Queen that Australia would still be a commonwealth country if Australians became a republic.
Labor, meanwhile, wanted Mr Turnbull to ask the Queen how she might help Australia transition to a republic. “But I’ve got no real hope that he’s going to do that,” frontbencher Mark Dreyfus said on ABC radio.
Mr Turnbull’s meeting with the Queen was his final formal event before heading home, having attended the G20 summit in Hamburg, talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and events in London with British PM Theresa May.
Although I am a Republican, I am also an Elizabethan. It was an honour to meet Her Majesty today at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/2oMYjEu0ww
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) July 11, 2017
— With AAP
Add your comment to this story
Miners change tune on climate change
Peak mining industry body The Minerals Council of Australia has joined the fight on climate.
Labor to turn up heat on Taylor
Labor will use the final two weeks of parliament to heap pressure on Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout