Australia’s priority is to organize a referendum on the political rights of indigenous peoples, not to replace the monarchy with a republic, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday (September 15).
Despite being a staunch Republican, the leader of the centre-left Labor Party refused to take part in the debate days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Australia, a member of the Commonwealth, is a constitutional monarchy with the sovereign of the United Kingdom as head of state.
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Anthony Albanese said he was focused on a referendum plan to give Indigenous Peoples, who number about 670,000 in Australia, less than 3% of the population, the right to be consulted by MPs on issues affecting them. A process called Voice to Parliament. “I want Australians to focus on the voice of Parliament,” he said on national radio ABC when asked why the country couldn’t also consider its future under the monarchy.
“We should be proud to share this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, dating back at least 65,000 years,” said Anthony Albanese, who was elected to an initial three-year term in May. “This is something that should be clarified before discussing other issues,” he added. A British colony for over a century, Australia gained independence in 1901 but retained the monarch as head of state.
Australians for a Republic
In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against impeachment of the Queen. Polls conducted before Elizabeth II’s death showed that most Australians supported the establishment of a republic. The republican question has been reignited since Anthony Albanese came to power, who was quick to nominate the country’s first “delegated minister for the republic” and suggested that another referendum could be held in the future. “It is very difficult to get a constitutional change in this country,” said Anthony Albanese, however, referring to the 1999 vote. “He made my priorities clear,” he continued.