Australia should be republic after Queen Elizabeth — PM

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has renewed his call for a republic, but only after Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, as he outlined a road map for breaking away from the British monarchy.

Turnbull – a staunch republican who led the cause before a failed referendum in 1999 – said his support for an Australian head of state stemmed from patriotism.

“The cause of the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) is a cause for Australia,” Turnbull said during a keynote address to the ARM on Saturday night.

“We do not diminish or disrespect the patriotism of those who take a different view, but we have no other motive, no other reason than love of country.”

The British crown’s power in Australia is seen as largely symbolic, and while the Queen is hugely popular Down Under, the monarchy is viewed by some as an anachronistic colonial relic.

Critics within Turnbull’s own conservative Liberal Party earlier in the week said his support for a republic would be damaging to the government. But Turnbull said there was no appetite among Australians for another referendum during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

“The less party political the republican movement is, the broader its base, the deeper its grassroots, the better positioned it will be when the issue becomes truly salient again,” the Australian leader added.

Opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten appeared to criticise Turnbull’s lack of action on Twitter following the speech. “Climate change, marriage equality, housing affordability, now Republic too hard for Turnbull. Time for the PM to lead his party, not follow,” Shorten tweeted.

Turnbull said question marks about how an Australian head of state would be elected – directly by the people or via a parliamentary appointment – had weakened support for a republic during the 1999 referendum. — AFP