Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said now is not the time to discuss if or when Australia should become a republic in the future and ruled out any referendum.
It was the PM’s first international interview since the monarch’s death. And when asked directly to confirm there would be no referendum in his first term, answered ‘no’.
Albanese had appointed NSW MP Matt Thistlethwaite “Assistant Minister for the Republic” in his first ministry earlier this year.
The PM is an avowed republican, but has focused on the Queen’s long-standing connection with Australians in his public comments since her death.
“Her Majesty was the only reigning monarch to ever visit Australia and it was clear from her first trip that she had a special place in our hearts,” he said in announcing a public day of mourning today.
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“Over the coming weeks, Australia will continue to commemorate our late Queen.
“I encourage all Australians, wherever you may be, to take time to pause and reflect on Her Majesty’s extraordinary life of service.”
Albanese also headed the meeting of Executive Cabinet today which recommended to Governor General David Hurley that Charles III be proclaimed the King of Australia.
Other political and public figures have called for the republic debate to be re-opened following the Queen’s death.
“Now Australia must move forward. We need Treaty with First Nations people, and we need to become a Republic,” Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt tweeted on Friday morning.
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In a statement, the Australian Republican Movement paid tribute to the Queen as a “respected” leader, and noted she had respected the self-determination of the Australian people.
“The Queen backed the right of Australians to become a fully independent nation during the referendum on an Australian republic in 1999, saying that she has ‘always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means’,” the statement read.
The 1999 referendum saw Australians vote against becoming a republic by a margin of 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
