Prime Minster Anthony Albanese and his newly appointed Assistant Minister for the Republic have hinted at the difficult task ahead to shift Australia to a republic after being under the rule of the monarch since Federation in 1901.
Matt Thistlethwaite has been tasked with overseeing the change, with the new minister saying there are lessons to be learnt from the failed 1999 referendum of the same issue.
Australians rejected the proposition that the nation become a republic with a president appointed by parliament 23 years ago, with Thistlethwaite saying he wants to avoid the same mistakes of the past campaign that he was also involved in.
He said been that the failure of the previous campaign was due to the “division” among party republicans, who were unable to unanimously come to a decision on how to best install a head of state.
“I’m deeply conscious of that. And I want to avoid that in the future,” he told ABC Radio on Thursday.
“So we don’t have a preference for a model that we’re going to seek to force on Australians. We’re going to take this slowly and methodically.”
Albanese has promised that under his new government, a first term priority will be a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament and constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Mr Thistlethwaite said Australia cutting ties with the British monarchy would be the “next natural step” and to have “one of our own” as head of state, with a referendum possible in a second term of a Labor government.
“(The Prime Minister) wants me to make sure this issue comes back on the public agenda in discourse in Australia,” he said.
“There is a whole generation of Australians, newly arrived migrants, who don’t understand this issue. I think my role is one of education.”
“We have a proxy representative in the Governor-General. But we can have an Australian as our head of state.”
Mr Thistlethwaite said it was time to consider whether Australia should remain a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II, who is now 96 years old, as the head of state.
“As the Queen comes to the twilight of her reign we should pay respect for her for the wonderful job she’s done, but I think Australians are beginning to think about what comes next for our nation,” he said.
“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.”
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