No timeframe on republic vote as Greens put heat on Labor

Matt Thistlethwaite says Labor will prioritise the cost of living over a referendum as Adam Bandt accuses Labor of ‘letting people down’.

Assistant Minister for a Republic, Matt Thistlethwaite, has no timeframe on a referendum. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Assistant Minister for a Republic, Matt Thistlethwaite, has no timeline on when Labor will pursue a referendum on dumping the British monarch as Australia’s head of state, as the Greens lash the Albanese government for putting the issue on ice.

Mr Thistlethwaite defended the need to retain his ministerial portfolio, despite having no time frame on when a referendum would be held.

“I’m not going to put a timeline on it,” the assistant minister told the ABC. “At the moment, our priority is cost of living and that’s the appropriate thing for the government to be concentrating on.”

The comments come after Mr Thistlethwaite told The Weekend Australian Labor would not take a referendum proposal to the next election, walking away from an ambition to hold a constitutional vote on the republic in the government’s second term.

On Monday, Mr Thistlethwaite said his portfolio was still needed as it was still Labor’s ambition for the “longer term”.

“I’m certainly committed to and still passionate about Australia, hopefully, having one day one of our own as our head of state, and I’ll continue to perform that important work as an assistant to the Attorney-General.

“We know that, unfortunately, the voice referendum wasn’t successful, but we’re not giving up. It’s a longer-term priority.”

Jim Chalmers said the republic was an important issue but the government needed to re-evaluate how to sequence future referendums after the failure of the voice campaign. He backed Mr Thistlethwaite retaining the republic portfolio.

“Australia should become a republic,” the Treasurer said. “We’ve got to work out how we sequence constitutional change in this country, we’ve got to work out what we have learned from the … disappointing failure of the voice referendum last year.

“But Australia, in my view, should have an Australian head of state. Of course it should.

“And it’s entirely appropriate that Matt has the ministerial portfolios that he has.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt accused Labor of “letting people down” in delaying the republican referendum.

“From refugees to the republic, Labor’s letting Peter Dutton run the show,” Mr Bandt said.

“For an outfit supposedly run by conviction politicians, it’s getting harder by the day to work out what Labor actually believes in.”

CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith said the government’s “number one priority must be on the cost-of-living crisis and, in particular, housing”.

But Mr Smith said it would be a mistake to use the voice failure as a reason to walk away from constitutional reform.

“The lesson of the voice referendum cannot be to abandon any future constitutional change like becoming a republic,” Mr Smith said. “Australia must not become a country that resigns itself to never again changing a document written more than 120 years ago.

“Progressive change is always worth fighting for.”

Other union leaders backed the delay of a referendum on the republic.

Electrical Trades Union national secretary Michael Wright said he could think of many policies the government should prioritise over pursuing a republic.

“There is a hell of a lot to do in the energy transition, there is a hell of a lot to do in the cost of living,” Mr Wright said.

“That’s what we are calling on the government to focus on.”

Labor for Housing convener Julijana Todorovic, who has been campaigning within the ALP on youth issues, said there were other issues more important to young people.

“If we are going to tackle divisive issues then the political capital would be better spent on tax reform and the redistribution of wealth,” Ms Todorovic said.

“As a general principle, millennials and Gen Zs are not monarchists but a lot of us are much more concerned with our healthcare costs and our housing costs.

“We would prefer to see leadership on those issues than another referendum.”