Australia moves to ditch Queen as head, appoints 'Assistant Minister for the Republic'

In a quiet move towards ending Queen Elizabeth II’s leadership, Australia appointed an "Assistant Minister for the Republic" and triggered a fresh wave of speculations that the British monarch might no longer be considered the head of the state. The newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed the 51-year-old Sydney MP Matt Thistlethwaite for the position which signalled his government’s intention to ditch Queen’s leadership, stated news.com.au.

Albanese, whose a republican, was reportedly pressed on his attitude towards shifting Australia away from the monarchy during his campaign even as the UK monarch readies to mark the Platinum Jubilee of her reign. The appointment of Thistlethwaite as Assistant Minister for the Republic was hailed by Australian Republic Movement chair Peter FitzSimons who said that it was a move in the right direction. 

According to FitzSimons, it is the “best news” for his movement. He further said, “In the insightful words of that well-known monarchist Lyle Shelton a few weeks ago, for the first time, Australia has 'a Minister of the Crown devoted to removing the Crown’. The timing is perfect ... we are on our way.” However, monarchists in the country lambasted Albanese’s move with some of them calling it inappropriate as it was announced just days before the Queen is set to complete 70 years on the throne on June 2.

Even though the move is being speculated as ditching the British monarch, the exact nature of Thistlethwaite’s role is unclear, as per the report. This also comes in the backdrop of a 1999 referendum vote when Australia had voted against breaking away from the Commonwealth.  At the time, only 55% voted against the republic. According to Australian Republic Movement, before the election, 61% of members of the House of Representatives declared support for a republic. 

Australia becoming a republic 'inevitable': Albanese

The move also came after Albanese called Australia becoming a republic “inevitable”. Australian PM had also promised a referendum on giving Aboriginal Australians an institutional role in policymaking, but not on becoming a republic., The ruling Labor Party’s Jason Clare had previously said that the party’s focus was on providing a First Nations voice. Following his appointment, Thistlethwaite said that "he was honoured”. Along with being the Assistant Minister for the Republic, the Sydney MP will also handle the roles of Assistant Minister for Defence, and Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the Labor government.

Image: AP