The public gallery in parliament rose to give the Prime Minister,Paul Keating,a standing ovation at the end of his landmark speech outlining his vision for a republic in Australia.
Some opponents of the monarchy say the Australian Republic Movement’s approach was overly negative and risked turning away people who would otherwise vote for a republic.
After all the Pythonesque pomp of the coronation,Charles and Camilla will wake up to the reality that they are doomed to preside over a shrinking realm.
The national convenor of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy David Flint discusses the future of the royal family in Australia – and the radical days of his youth.
The proposed “chorus of millions of voices” is historically troubling,potentially divisive,and – at the very least – likely to be unachievable.
Queensland will keep its current flag – for now – despite history dictating it should be updated to reflect the King’s preference.
The coronation is a reminder of the anachronistic nature of our constitutional arrangements and why the Crown is a symbol of oppression and pain to our First Peoples.
Australians will be invited to verbally swear allegiance to the King,but leaders of the Australian republican movement want the prime minister to remain silent.
In a manner befitting Monty Python,the new King and Queen of Australia will soon be anointed,invested,oiled,crowned,and then throned. But we won’t get to see the silliest bit.
The King has made it plain that he sees himself as a reboot to the Firm’s franchise. As a historian,my view is that this is a mistake.
King Charles had seventy years to pick a coronation meal that would usher in a brave new era. Instead,he landed on the most disgusting dish ever created.