Richard Marles says constituents will have to work for a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

Richard Marles says he will happily provide his constituents with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. But there’s one condition.

Queen Elizabeth’s Australian portrait.

Federal Labor MP Richard Marles has thrown down the gauntlet to his constituents, saying he will happily provide them with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II if they can answer a question about the constitution.

After an article published on news website VICE last week reported the fact that all Australians are entitled to request nationhood material from their federal parliamentarians through the “constituents request program”, hundreds of people have asked their local members for a print of the Queen.

Mr Marles, Labor’s Defence spokesman and a committed republican, said he has had more than 100 requests for A3 prints of the monarch.

“If people really want a portrait of the Queen from my ¬office they can have one, but they are going to have to work for it,” Mr Marles said.

Federal Labor MP Richard Marles. Picture: Kym Smith

“I will be holding a stall outside my office at 2pm this Friday for those who would like a portrait of the Queen.

“However, to gauge how genuine people are about celebrating Australia’s head of state, they will need to answer some basic constitutional questions to receive one.

“Those who cannot answer these questions will receive a copy of the constitution ¬instead (which people can also get from my office).”

Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson said she had received “numerous” requests for portraits of the Queen.

“While a parliamentarian may present nationhood materials these are paid for out of the parliamentarian’s capped electorate office budget,” she said.

Department of Finance guidelines state MPs may spend as much as they like on the material, provided it does not push their overall office expenditure above the required annual budget.