AUSTRALIA/FILE: Queen Elizabeth's visit to Australia leaves the possibility of becoming a republic a distant dream.

Record ID: 559686

  • Title: AUSTRALIA/FILE: Queen Elizabeth's visit to Australia leaves the possibility of becoming a republic a distant dream.
  • Date: 21st October 2011
  • Summary: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHIST PROFESSOR DAVID FLINT SAYING: "At the present time politicians, republican politicians are saying, not during this reign. They've put it on the back burner. That's because I suspect, their polling and their focus groups are telling them not to touch this with a barge pole. So it's completely off the political agenda. The small republican politicians say they want a plebiscite, they won't get it."
  • Embargoed: 5th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: Royalty,Politics,Royalty
  • Reuters ID: LVAB62O8ZSQYHE891OSSOO8DSH05
  • Story Text: The Queen arrived in Canberra on Wednesday (October 19), her 16th and possibly last visit to Australia given her 85 years and the long distance from the United Kingdom.
    The visit is expected to reignite debate on whether the nation should become a republic.
    Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch its head of state who acts in a ceremonial manner but has the power to approve the abolition of parliament, which happened in 1975 toppling the then government.
    Republicans concede any debate will be short lived and their dream of an Australian republic and president will remain just that -- for many years to come.
    Time, politics and apathy have all conspired against Australia's republicans. They know there is no appetite to put the issue back on the national agenda.
    An opinion poll this week revealed support for the monarchy has risen to 55 percent of the population, while support for a republic was at its lowest level in 23 years at 34 percent.
    Michael Keating, chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, says however that the discussion must continue, with or without the Queen.
    "Becoming a republic is not really about Elizabeth Windsor the person. It's about the institution of the monarchy. We have no wish to see Queen Elizabeth either advocate or die early. But it's silly to link a discussion and a decision about our national future to an event over which we have no control. It would be far better to have the discussion now and worry about dates of implementation at a later date," said Keating In contrast, Australia's monarchists, who defeated a national vote to become a republic in 1999, are giddy with excitement about Queen Elizabeth's 16th "Down Under" royal tour.
    "The magic of monarchy still has a place and we saw that for example at the royal wedding and we will see it during the royal visit. There is great affection for the Queen," said Professor David Flint, head of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy.
    Prime Minister Julia Gillard, despite being a republican, heads a minority government struggling to survive and has no desire to raise the divisive issue.
    Gillard, like many republicans, now says Australia will not become a republic until Queen Elizabeth dies.
    "At the present time politicians, republican politicians are saying, not during this reign. Thye've put it on the back burner. That's because I suspect, their polling and their focus groups are telling them not to touch this with a barge pole. So it's completely off the political agenda. The small republican politicians say they want a plebiscite, they won't get it," Flint said.
    During Queen Elizabeth's 1963 Australian royal tour, then Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies said: "I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die".
    For most Australians, Queen Elizabeth is the only monarch they have known and the emotional connection with Elizabeth resonates with many, especially older Australians.
    Twenty-four year-old monarchist, Jai Martinkovits, says many young Australians also have a soft spot for the Queen, just like they would their grandmother, and now a growing affinity with the young royals, like Prince William, Catherine and Harry.
    "The young royals I think are huge in raising awareness about what this institution is and why it is relevant. I think with that will flow further support for the monarchy," he said.
    Martinkovits is the youngest executive director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM), and reflects a push to attract young Australians to the cause.
    ACM's Facebook has 22,000 fans and its website 12 million hits.
    But it is apathy towards politics amongst young Australians that is the main reason they do not support a republic, said Martinkovits, who admits he became involved in the movement initially by accident when he dated the ACM secretary.
    "If we look at the polls there are two categories of people who have very, very little support for a republic. We see it particularly among the youth and amongst the elderly. Now of course the elderly are passionate monarchists as were young people are apathetic and generally conservative I think to change," he said.
    Flint said support for the monarchy is support for Australia's stable political system and not directly driven by a desire to have a Queen or King as head of state.
    "I think they are constitutionalists, if I may create a word. They support the existing constitutional system which incorporates the crown. They don't completely, I wouldn't expect them to understand the precise role of the crown but they are happy with the vice royals, the governors or governors general. They have a sense that this is something that is not political and they appreciate, probably subconsciously that you need checks and balances on power."
    Australia is a nation of immigrants with one in four people born overseas and Flint believes many migrant Australians oppose a republic because of past experiences in countries where presidential power was abused.
    The zenith of the republic debate in the 1990s was wrapped around the issue of national identity as it coincided with a time of reflection as Australia neared the 2000 Sydney Olympics and its centenary as a nation in 2001.
    The past decade has seen the national focus shift to more pragmatic issues, dominated by global economic woes.
    Some republicans hope that from 2014 Australians will enter another period of self-examination and rekindle the republican dream.
    The ANZAC centenaries starting in 2014 will mark Australia's greatest military battles, especially the defeat under British command at Gallipoli during World War One.
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