Now is not the time to discuss question of republic, says Albanese
Anthony Albanese declared it is not the right time to discuss Australia becoming a republic, saying he had a ‘responsibility to respect’ the proclamation of King Charles III.
Anthony Albanese has declared it is not the right time to discuss whether Australia should become a republic, with the Prime Minister saying he had a “responsibility to respect” the proclamation of King Charles III as the nation’s new head of state.
Mr Albanese said it was a “time of national mourning”, announcing September 22 would be a public holiday.
“Now is not a time to talk about our system of government,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
“Now is a time for us to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth, a life well-lived, a life of dedication and loyalty, including to the Australian people, and for us to honour and grieve at the loss.
“Today (Sunday) we will be commemorating the proclamation of King Charles III as Australia’s head of state. That’s the system of government we have. It’s one which as Prime Minister I have a responsibility to respect.”
Later on Sunday, Mr Albanese appeared on British television and categorically ruled out a republic referendum in the government’s first term. “No,” he said, when asked on Sky News UK whether any referendum would be held before 2025.
Pressed on whether he understood that First Nations people might not feel the same affection as others towards the late Queen and the monarchy she represented, Mr Albanese told the ABC that he was “not in a position to control people’s feelings … I respect the fact that people are entitled to their views, but this loss is, I think, for us to come together at this time as a nation.”
Mr Albanese was also confident about achieving constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, rejecting the suggestion the ongoing link to the monarchy presented an obstacle to a successful referendum.
“I believe the constitutional change that I have very clearly identified as my priority in this term of parliament is the recognition of First Nations people in our Constitution,” he said.
“Our Constitution is our national birth certificate. This nation didn’t begin in 1788. It goes back some 65,000 years at least. It should be a source of great national pride that we live and share this continent with the oldest continuous civilisation and culture on earth.”
Peter Dutton also told the ABC the debate about the monarchy and the republic was “for another day” but confirmed he was against changing the current arrangements. “At the moment we mourn the loss of an incredible world leader, a woman who was obviously an amazing role model to many women, to many female leaders across the world,” the Opposition Leader said.
Mr Albanese remains committed towards establishing a republic as set out in the ALP platform, but has prioritised holding a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament in this term.
Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite said in June that as the Queen entered the “twilight of her reign we should pay respect for her for the wonderful job she’s done”, but he added: “I think Australians are beginning to think about what comes next for our nation.
“It’s time we start the serious conversation once again … and looking to have one of our own as our head of state, to recognise that independence and maturity going forward.”
He said Australia was in the minority, noting that 34 out of 54 Commonwealth countries had become republics.
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