The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II has sparked many conversations about Australia’s consensus on possible leaving the commonwealth and becoming a republic. This is something that has been thrown around and discussed a lot in the past as in 1999, the government held a referendum to see if Australia wanted to become a republic. The results for the referendum were that 54% of people wanted to remain apart of the constitution with the Queen remaining as ruler. However, the numbers have since changed as in 2021 a poll suggested that a third of Australia wanted to become a republic and the number is expected to have grown with the Queens passing and the King now in rule.
There are many reasons why the people of Australia want the change to happen. Some of these include the unquestionable liking of Queen Elizabeth II and the way Australia most likely won’t embrace her successor King Charles III and as much as other royals have become more significant and liked by the Australian population, it is unlikely any of them will receive the same treatment that was given to the Queen as they have not been apart of many people lives and involved in Australia’s history as much as the Queen was.
The motion of Australia becoming a republic may already have started as current prime minister Anthony Albanese has appointed an assistant minister for the republic which is seen as the most Australia has done to disentangle from the Commonwealth and the royal family.
However, despite Australia becoming more open to the decision to leave the Commonwealth in recent years, this change is unlikely to happen anytime soon as at the moment there are other things that the government is more focused on right now that can get in the way of the changes such as the government in the works of creating a referendum to amend the constitution to officially recognise First Nations people which is likely to happen in the next year or so. Australia is also currently set to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games which will be a major economic boost as Australia has struggled with gaining back tourism since the pandemic. Despite many countries still participating and hosting the Commonwealth games after leaving the rule of the Queen, it is unlikely Australia will risk making that change for the sake of the economy.
If you or someone you know wish to discuss this issue further, then please do not hesitate to contact us on 02 8999 9809.