The voice first, then becoming a republic

'Labor is committed to holding a discussion about moving towards having an Australian head of state.'

'Labor is committed to holding a discussion about moving towards having an Australian head of state.'

The new Albanese government wants to restart the national conversation on becoming a Republic but has ruled out having a referendum on ditching the Queen just yet, declaring an indigenous voice to parliament is the main game. 

Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite (who was shadow assistant minister for the Republic prior to the election) told The Oz on Wednesday the government was committed to having a discussion with the public about moving towards having an Australian head of state.

But he warned that enshrining an indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution would be the bigger priority during the first term (three years) of the Albanese government. 

"The priority is a voice to parliament and indigenous recognition and that's what we'll work on principally but Labor is committed to at some stage holding a discussion with the Australian public about moving towards having an Australian head of state," he said.

As Queen Elizabeth II hits the 75th year on the throne, Australians will no doubt start questioning whether we still need the royals.

Thistlethwaite said facilitating such a discussion was already part of the Labor platform but the government now needed to weigh-up whether they use a referendum or a plebiscite to decide on keeping a British monarch as our head of state. 

• A referendum specifically poses a question to the Australian people about changing the constitution and the result binds the government to following through on it.
• A plebiscite on the other hand is what we had when the majority of Australians voted in favour of same-sex marriage. Plebiscites do not deal with constitutional questions but issues on which the government seeks approval to act, or not act.

"We're committed to looking at doing that after we've dealt with the voice to parliament and would involve discussing with the Australian people their views about having a republic, what kind of model of appointment Australians would like to see and how we would determine to amend the constitution," Thistlethwaite said. 

"The priority is the voice to parliament but that doesn't prohibit a discussion about an Australian head of state in the future and I think as the Queen reaches the twilight of her reign, we're going to naturally see an organic discussion in Australia about constitutional arrangements in the future and whether or not we want to remain with a British monarch as our head of state or a system where we appoint our own." 

The first thing Anthony Albanese did in his victory speech on election night was to acknowledge traditional Aboriginal land and recommit to asking the Australian people about whether they want to change the constitution to enshrine an indigenous voice to parliament.

A referendum will require a bill to pass both houses of parliament, and Aboriginal leaders are pushing for a referendum to be held in May next year or January 2024.

The Oz understands the new government thinks having two referendums in the one term would be overkill and they don't want to overwhelm Australians with multiple constitutional shake-ups at once.

Incoming Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney has warned there is significant mountain to climb for the government if they want to gain support for the voice from both the public and the new parliament before a referendum is held. 

She told The Australian one of the reasons preparations for the referendum must be thorough is because the bar for success is so high.

A majority of Australians in a majority of states must vote yes in order for the Constitution to be changed.

There have been 44 referendums in Australia since Federation and only eight have succeeded.

While Burney has already begun the work of making good on Labor’s commitment, she said she will not be rushed on the issue.

“Anthony has talked about certainly the desire to have a referendum in the first term,” she said.

“I know that certainly (the Uluru Statement) From the Heart people have set two dates that they think are appropriate. All of those things will be considered but I am not going to be rushed into anything because I know there are passionate feelings from lots of quarters about this."