Monarchists in Australia are coming under flak for the fact that there are no state premiers marking the reception welcoming King Charles III to the country later this week. The reception is scheduled to be held at Canberra has been slated by names like Bev McArthur of the Australian Monarchist League, who described the decision by premiers not to attend as “insulting”.
It remains to be seen, therefore, whether McArthur’s optimism is sustainable: as the premiers should take off their republican hats and embrace the visitor. There are to be representatives of all six states—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania—sitting at the lower table with their governors as proxies for the absent premiers.
News that the King of Australia was visiting once more rekindled talk that Australia may eventually be a republic. Such sentiment was encouraged by media reportage of the visit-from what the Daily Mirror described as a “snub” in which the premiers were absent.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, who cannot make it, welcomed King Charles’s visit with warm words: “I’m very pleased the King can come to Australia.” Asked whether she supports the republicanism of Australia, she said she does, but this was not what the present government had been working for.
McArthur dismissed the excuses by the state premiers, calling their no-show “petty and inhospitable.” But she argued that welcoming the King is elementary courtesy expected from the nation’s top elected officials.
The Australian Republic Movement refers to the royal visit as a “farewell tour” for the monarchy in Australia and calls for a locally elected head of state. The movement’s spokesman, Isaac Jeffrey, underscored that Australia should have a head of government who can focus on the country full time.
The visit will host King Charles III, who just recently received his treatment with cancer, and also the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Following the Australian leg of the visit, the King and Queen will travel to Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.
The debate between a monarchy and a republic remains, with the recent surveys indicating that the Australians still want to maintain a constitutional monarchy rather than become a republic. The visit by King Charles will also boost and engage the community in debating Australia’s leadership and whether the country remains loyal to the British monarchy.
