The King and us*

 

The death of Queen Elizabeth II last year thrust the issue of Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy back into the light after two decades of shadow. According to polls, a majority of Australians now favour a home-grown Head of State rather than the monarch of the former colonial power, and King Charles’ coronation this weekend will be viewed by many as a foreign curiosity rather than anything to do with us.


The lavish ceremony and celebration of the King’s formal enthronement is costing the British government around £100 million – that’s about $A190 million. Meanwhile, the post-Brexit, post-Covid British economy is in dire straits with homelessness and poverty soaring, food shortages, astronomical energy costs and historic low business investment. The British government is hoping that the pomp and circumstance of the coronation and its associated festivities will boost public morale in a country where the monarchy has been the foundation of both government and society, with the exception of a brief flirtation with republicanism (1649-1660), since the Romans decided they preferred la dolce vita and vino rosso to cold rain and warm ale and ponced off back to Rome.**

What’s this got to do with us? In a word: nothing.

However, before we start screeching for a republic, it’s worth remembering that we have been offered the chance to sever our ties with the UK. In 1999, we were given the option:

To alter the Constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament.

The Australian people quietly took this proposition out the back and shot it.

The Albanese government has already indicated that they will consider the question of an Australian republic at some future time, likely in its second term, should it be re-elected in 2025. The government’s first priority is the passage of the Voice referendum to provide for recognition of Indigenous people in the constitution.

In order for a referendum to succeed, it needs a double majority, that is, a majority of voters in a majority of states. Australians don’t change the constitution lightly. Since federation there have been 44 referendums put to voters, with only eight being passed. The most recent successful referendum was in 1977 when we were asked four separate questions:

1.     to ensure that Senate elections are held at the same time as House of Representatives elections;

2.     to ensure, as far as practicable, that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party as the Senator chosen by the people, and that the person shall hold the seat for the balance of the term;

3.     to allow electors in Territories, as well as in the States, to vote in constitutional referendums;

4.     to provide for retiring ages for judges of Federal courts.

All but the first of these questions were carried.

Even though support for the monarchy has waned dramatically since 1999, changing the system of government will require careful preparation and the establishment of clear ground rules. Giving voice to our First Nations is the first step. Australia is currently the only formerly colonised nation in the world that does not recognise its Indigenous people in its constitution. If the Voice referendum, to be held later this year, is not carried, it will be a major setback for any future prosecution of the republic question.

Meanwhile, enjoy the coronation show this weekend and be thankful that we’re not paying for it.

 

* A slightly different version of this (ie. minus the Life of Brian clip) was first published as the editorial in Braidwood's Changing Times, 3 May 2023

** Actually, after the Romans left, Britain fractured into a number of kingdoms, all of which hated each other and kept trying to invade each other's territories, until William the Conqueror arrived and united the lot in 1066. I like to think that King Charles' choice of quiche as his official Coronation Dish is an historical preference harking back to the days when French was the official language of the English court (which it was until around the 14th Century) and frogs and snails were very nervous.




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