Editing Republicanism in Australia (section)

==History==
===Before federation===
In his journal ''The Currency Lad'', first published in Sydney in 1832, pastoralist and politician [[Horatio Wills]] was the first person to openly espouse Australian republicanism. Born to a [[convicts in Australia|convict]] father, Wills was devoted to the [[emancipist]] cause and promoted the interests of "[[currency (lads and lasses)|currency lads and lasses]]" (Australian-born Europeans).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Currency Lad (Sydney, NSW : 1832-1833) |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/title/1468 |access-date=27 September 2022 |website=Trove |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Eureka Flag.svg|thumb|left|A modern version of the [[Eureka Flag]]. The flag is a popular option for the [[Australian flag debate|new flag of an Australian Republic]].]]
Some leaders and participants of the revolt at the [[Eureka Stockade]] in 1854 held republican views and the incident has been used to encourage republicanism in subsequent years, with the [[Eureka Flag]] appearing in connection with some republican groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=24 |title=Eureka – Australia's Historical Distraction |publisher=[[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]]-date=13 June 2010}}</ref> The Australian Republican Association (ARA) was founded in response to the Eureka Stockade, advocating the abolition of governors and their titles, the revision of the penal code, payment of members of parliament, the nationalisation of land and an independent federal Australian republic outside of the [[British Empire]]. [[David Flint]], the national convener of [[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]], notes that a movement emerged in favour of a [[White Australia policy|White Australia]] policy; however British authorities in [[Whitehall]] were opposed to segregational laws. He suggests that to circumvent Westminster, those in favour of the discriminatory policies backed the proposed secession from the Empire as a republic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=4 |title=Flint, David; ''A White Republic''; December&nbsp;9, 2006 |publisher=Norepublic.com.au |date=10 December 2006 |access-date=13 June 2010}}</ref>

One attendee of the ARA meetings was the Australian-born poet [[Henry Lawson]], who wrote his first poem, entitled ''A Song of the Republic'', in ''The Republican'' journal.<ref name=lawson>{{cite book|title=The Captive Republic : A History of Republicanism in Australia 1788–1996 (Studies in Australian History)|url=https://archive.org/details/captiverepublich0000mcke|url-access=registration|author=Mark McKenna|year=1996}}</ref>
{{blockquote|Banish from under your bonny skies<br />Those old-world errors and wrongs and lies| [[Henry Lawson]]| ''A Song of the Republic''<ref name=lawson />}}

===Federation and decline===
[[File:The Bulletin front cover.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Front cover of an 1890 edition of the republican magazine ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'', warning that federation of the colonies may ensure Australia's membership of the British Empire.]]
At the Australian Federation Convention, which produced the first draft that was to become the [[Constitution of Australia|Australian Constitution]] in 1891, a former Premier of New South Wales, [[George Dibbs]], stated the "inevitable destiny of the people of this great country" would be the establishment of "the Republic of Australia".<ref>Justice Kirby: ''The Australian Republican Referendum 1999{{spaced ndash}}Ten Lessons'', 3 March 2000 [http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/ljf/app/&id=DF4206863AE3C52DCA2571A30082B3D5 Source]</ref> The fervour of republicanism tailed off in the 1890s as the labour movement became concerned with the [[Federation of Australia]]. The republican movement dwindled further during and after [[World War I]] as emotional and patriotic support for the war effort went hand in hand with a renewed sense of loyalty to the monarchy. ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'' abandoned republicanism and became a conservative, Empire loyalist paper. The [[Returned and Services League]] formed in 1916 and became an important bastion of monarchist sentiment.

The conservative parties were fervently monarchist and although the Labor Party campaigned for greater Australian independence within the Empire and generally supported the appointment of Australians as [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]], it did not question the monarchy itself. Under the Labor government of [[John Curtin]], a member of the Royal Family, [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester]], was appointed Governor-General during [[World War II]]. [[Royal tours of Australia|The royal tour]] of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in 1954 saw a reported 7 million Australians (out of a total population of 9&nbsp;million) out to see her.<ref>D.Day, ''Claiming a Continent'', Harper Collins 1997, pp. 384–385</ref>

The [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis]], which culminated in the dismissal of Prime Minister [[Gough Whitlam]] by Governor-General [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]], raised questions about the value of maintaining a supposedly symbolic office that still possessed many key constitutional powers and what an Australian president with the same reserve powers would do in a similar situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theconversation.com/palace-letters-reveal-the-palaces-fingerprints-on-the-dismissal-of-the-whitlam-government-142476|title='Palace letters' reveal the palace's fingerprints on the dismissal of the Whitlam government|first=Chris|last=Wallace|date=14 July 2020|website=The Conversation|accessdate=16 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://jacobin.com/2020/07/gough-whitlam-dismissal-letters-john-kerr-australia|title=In the 1970s, a Soft Coup Removed Australia's Left-Wing Prime Minister|last=Rundle|first=Guy|date=16 July 2020|work=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]|accessdate=16 October 2022}}</ref>

===Changes to oaths and titles===
References to the monarchy were removed from various institutions through the late 1980s and 1990s. For example, in 1993, the [[Oath of Citizenship]], which included an assertion of allegiance to the Australian monarch, was replaced by a pledge to be loyal to "Australia and its people".<ref>[https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22library/prspub/1VW76%22 Changes in the Australian oath of citizenship], No. 20, [[Parliament of Australia]], 19 November 2002</ref> Earlier, in 1990, the formula of enactment for the [[Parliament of Australia]] was changed from "Be it enacted by the Queen, and the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia as follows" to "The Parliament of Australia enacts".<ref name="Kirby" />

Barristers in [[New South Wales]] (from 1993), [[Queensland]] (from 1994), [[Australian Capital Territory|ACT]] (from 1995), [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] (from 2000), [[Western Australia]] (from 2001), [[Tasmania]] (from 2005), [[Northern Territory]] (from 2007), [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth]] (from March 2007) and [[South Australia]] (from 2008) were no longer appointed [[Queen's Counsel]] (QC), but as [[Senior Counsel]] (SC). These changes were criticised by Justice [[Michael Kirby (judge)|Michael Kirby]] and other monarchists as moves to a "republic by stealth".<ref name="Kirby">[https://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/1990s/vol32/1994/1113-A_Republic_by_Stealth_%28The_Robert_Harris_Oration%29.pdf A Republic by Stealth?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402132239/https://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/1990s/vol32/1994/1113-A_Republic_by_Stealth_%28The_Robert_Harris_Oration%29.pdf |date=2 April 2019}}, Robert Harris Oration, 12th Convention of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, Canberra, 16 April 1994</ref> However beginning with [[Queensland]] in 2013, [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and the [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth]] in 2014 and followed by South Australia in 2020 the title of Queen's Counsel (QC) and now [[King's Counsel]] (KC) has again been conferred, in part due to the title's greater regard and recognition, internationally and domestically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Jemma |date=28 September 2020 |title=SA legal industry welcomes return of QC title |url=https://indaily.com.au/news/local/2020/09/28/sa-legal-industry-welcomes-return-of-qc-title/ |access-date=12 November 2023 |website=InDaily |language=en}}</ref> There remains interest in [[New South Wales]] for a reintroduction of the title.<ref>[http://www.afr.com/business/legal/a-royal-rift-over-title-to-silk-20150521-gh6e2d A royal rift over title to silk], ''[[Australian Financial Review]]'', 21 May 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.australasianlawyer.com.au/news/nsw-bar-to-bring-back-qcs-200397.aspx NSW Bar to bring back QCs], Australian Lawyer, 15 May 2015</ref> In 2024, South Australia reverted back to only appointing SCs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 June 2024 |title=KCs band: that’s the way they don’t like it |url=https://www.proquest.com/anznews/newspapers/kcs-band-that-s-way-they-don-t-like/docview/3068467222 |url-access=subscription |work=The Advertiser |via=Proquest}}</ref>

===Keating government proposals===
The [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) first made republicanism its official policy in 1991,<ref name=tradrep>{{cite web|last=McKenna|first=Mark|title=The Traditions of Australian Republicanism|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP9596/96rp31|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref> with then Prime Minister [[Bob Hawke]] describing a republic as "inevitable". Following the ALP decision, the [[Australian Republican Movement]] (ARM) was born. Hawke's successor, [[Paul Keating]], pursued the republican agenda much more actively than Hawke and established the [[Republic Advisory Committee]] to produce an options paper on issues relating to the possible transition to a republic to take effect on the centenary of Federation: 1 January 2001. The committee produced its report in April 1993 and in it argued that "a republic is achievable without threatening Australia's cherished democratic institutions".<ref name=keating />

In response to the report, Keating promised a [[referendum]] on the establishment of a republic, replacing the Governor-General with a president, and removing references to the Australian sovereign. The president was to be nominated by the prime minister and appointed by a two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives. The referendum was to be held either in 1998 or 1999.<ref name=keating /> However, Keating's party lost the [[1996 Australian federal election|1996 federal election]] in a landslide and he was replaced by John Howard, a monarchist, as prime minister.

===1998 Constitutional Convention===
{{main|1998 Australian Constitutional Convention}}
With the change in government in 1996, Prime Minister [[John Howard]] proceeded with an alternative policy of holding a constitutional convention. This was held over two weeks in February 1998 at [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Old Parliament House]]. Half of the 152 delegates were elected and half were appointed by the federal and state governments. Convention delegates were asked whether or not Australia should become a republic and which model for a republic is preferred. At the opening of the convention, Howard stated that if the convention could not decide on a model to be put to a referendum, then plebiscites would be held on the model preferred by the Australian public.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Hansard/conv/con0202.pdf |title=Constitutional Convention Hansard |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]] |date=2 February 1998 |access-date=22 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108183157/http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/conv/con0202.pdf |archive-date=8 January 2011}}</ref>

At the convention, a republic gained majority support (89 votes to 52 with 11 abstentions), but the question of what model for a republic should be put to the people at a referendum produced deep divisions among republicans.<ref name=constitutional1998>Vizard, Steve, Two Weeks in Lilliput: Bear Baiting and Backbiting At the Constitutional Convention (Penguin, 1998, {{ISBN|0-14-027983-0}})</ref> Four republican models were debated: two involving [[Direct election republican model (Australia)|direct election]] of the head of state; one involving appointment on the advice of the prime minister (the [[McGarvie Model]]); and one involving appointment by a two-thirds majority of parliament (the [[Bi-partisan appointment republican model|bi-partisan appointment model]]).

The latter was eventually successful at the convention, even though it only obtained a majority because of 22 abstentions in the final vote (57 against delegates voted against the model and 73 voted for, three votes short of an actual majority of delegates).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/concon/agenda/results.htm|title=Constitutional Convention- results|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=22 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220201618/http://www.abc.net.au/concon/agenda/results.htm|archive-date=20 December 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> A number of those who abstained were republicans who supported direct election (such as [[Ted Mack (politician)|Ted Mack]], [[Phil Cleary]], [[Clem Jones]], and Andrew Gunter), thereby allowing the bi-partisan model to succeed. They reasoned that the model would be defeated at a referendum and a second referendum called with direct election as the model.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fighting For the Republic|page=32|author=Malcolm Turnbull|publisher=HGB|year=1999|author-link=Malcolm Turnbull}}</ref>

The convention also made recommendations about a [[preamble]] to the [[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900|constitution]] and a proposed preamble was also put to referendum.

According to critics, the two-week timeline and quasi-democratic composition of the convention is evidence of an attempt by John Howard to frustrate the republican cause,<ref name=constitutional1998/> a claim John Howard adamantly rejects.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

===1999 Republican referendum===
{{main|1999 Australian republic referendum}}
The [[1999 Australian republic referendum|republic referendum]] was held on 6 November 1999, after a national advertising campaign and the distribution of 12.9&nbsp;million 'Yes/No' case pamphlets. It comprised two questions: The first asked whether Australia should become a republic in which the Governor-General and monarch would be replaced by one office, the President of the Commonwealth of Australia, the occupant elected by a two-thirds vote of the Australian parliament for a fixed term. The second question, generally deemed to be far less important politically, asked whether Australia should alter the constitution to insert a [[Australian referendum, 1999 (Preamble)|preamble]]. Neither of the amendments passed, with 55% of all electors and all states voting 'no' to the proposed amendment; it was not carried in any state. The preamble referendum question was also defeated, with a Yes vote of only 39 per cent.

Many opinions were put forward for the defeat, some relating to perceived difficulties with the parliamentary appointment model, others relating to the lack of public engagement or that most Australians were simply happy to keep the status quo. Some republicans voted no because they did not agree with provisions such as the president being instantly dismissible by the prime minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vic.republic.org.au/index_files/speeches/MelbRep02.PDF |title=A People's Head of State |website=vic.republic.org.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318080039/http://vic.republic.org.au/index_files/speeches/MelbRep02.PDF |archive-date=18 March 2009}}</ref>

===2000s: Following the referendum===
On 26 June 2003, the Senate referred an inquiry into an Australian republic to the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee. During 2004, the committee reviewed 730 submissions and conducted [[Hearing (law)|hearings]] in all state capitals. The committee tabled its report, called ''Road to a Republic'', on 31 August 2004.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Completed%20inquiries/2002-04/republic03/report/index |title=The road to a republic |last=Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee, Parliament of the Commonwealth |date=31 August 2004 |isbn=0-642-71441-X}}</ref> The report examined the contest between minimalist and direct-election models and gave attention to hybrid models such as the electoral college model, the constitutional council model, and models having both an elected president and a Governor-General.

The bi-partisan recommendations of committee supported educational initiatives and holding a series of plebiscites to allow the public to choose which model they preferred, prior to a final draft and referendum, along the lines of plebiscites proposed by John Howard at the 1998 constitutional convention.

Issues related to republicanism were raised by the March 2006 tour of Australia by Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. John Howard, still serving as prime minister, was then questioned by British journalists about the future of the Australian monarchy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1592609.htm|title=PM's comments fuel republic debate|date=15 March 2006|publisher=ABC Local Radio|access-date=6 July 2008}}</ref> and there was debate about playing Australia's royal anthem, "[[God Save the Queen]]", during the opening of [[2006 Commonwealth Games|that year's Commonwealth Games]], at which the monarch was present.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 February 2006 |title=Games minister denies protocol breach |newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/games-minister-denies-protocol-breach-20060228-gdn25l.html |url-status= |url-access=subscription |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>

In July 2007, Opposition Leader [[Kevin Rudd]] pledged to hold a new referendum on a republic if called on to form a government. However, he stated there was no fixed time frame for such a move and that the result of the 1999 referendum must be respected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-07-25/rudd-pledges-referendum-on-republic/2513066|title=Rudd pledges referendum on republic|publisher=ABC News|date=25 July 2007|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref> After his party won the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 federal election]] and Rudd was appointed prime minister, he stated in April 2008 that a move to a republic was "not a top-order priority".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-04-07/republic-not-a-priority-rudd/2395178|title=Republic not a priority: Rudd|newspaper=ABC News|date=7 April 2008|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

In the lead-up to the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]], Prime Minister [[Julia Gillard]] stated: "I believe that this nation should be a republic. I also believe that this nation has got a deep affection for Queen Elizabeth."<ref name=gillard>{{cite news|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|publisher=Fairfax Media|title= Once Queen goes, let's have a republic: Gillard|author=Jacob Saulwick|date=17 August 2010}}</ref> She stated her belief that it would be appropriate for Australia to become a republic only once Queen Elizabeth II's reign ends.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10995425|publisher=[[BBC World]]|title=Australia's Gillard backs republic after Queen's death|date=17 August 2010|access-date=19 August 2010}}</ref>

===2010s===
In November 2013, Governor-General [[Quentin Bryce]] proclaimed her support for an Australian republic, stating in a speech "perhaps, my friends, one day, one young girl or boy may even grow up to be our nation's first head of state". She had previously emphasised the importance of debate about the future of the Australian head of state and the evolution of the constitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-22/governor-general-quentin-bryce-backs-gay-marriage-republicanism/5112020|title=Governor-General Quentin Bryce backs gay marriage, Australia becoming a republic in Boyer Lecture|publisher=ABC News|date=23 November 2013|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

In January 2015, Opposition Leader [[Bill Shorten]] called for a new push for a republic, stating: "Let us declare that our head of state should be one of us. Let us rally behind an Australian republic - a model that truly speaks for who we are, our modern identity, our place in our region and our world."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-25/bill-shorten-renews-call-for-republic-ahead-of-australia-day/6045222|title=Opposition Leader Bill Shorten renews call for republic ahead of Australia Day|date=26 January 2015|publisher=ABC News|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

In September 2015, former [[Australian Republican Movement|ARM]] chair [[Malcolm Turnbull]] became leader of the Liberal Party and was appointed prime minister. He stated he would not pursue "his dream" of Australia becoming a republic until after the end of the Queen's reign, instead focusing his efforts toward the economy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbulls-new-cabinet-to-be-sworn-in-today/story-fnihslxi-1227536373800?from=public_rss|title=Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's new cabinet to be sworn in today|last=Dunlevy|first=Sue|newspaper=The Courier-Mail|date=21 September 2015|access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> Upon meeting Elizabeth II in July 2017, Turnbull declared himself an "Elizabethan" and stated he did not believe a majority of Australians would support a republic before the end of her reign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-12/malcolm-turnbull-meets-queen-elizabeth-republican-movement/8699490|title='Republican' and 'Elizabethan' Malcolm Turnbull meets the Queen at Buckingham Palace|publisher=ABC News|date=12 July 2017|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

In December 2016, [[News.com.au]] found that a slim majority of members of both houses of parliament supported Australia becoming a republic (54% in the House and 53% in the Senate).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/majority-of-parliamentarians-support-australian-republic/news-story/a0c30b7631b5e366f18471c737342727|title=Majority of parliamentarians support Australian republic|publisher=News.com.au|date=16 December 2016}}</ref>

In July 2017, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten revealed that, should the Labor Party be elected in the [[2019 Australian federal election|2019 federal election]], they would legislate for a compulsory plebiscite on the issue. Should that plebiscite be supported by a majority of Australians, a second vote would be held, this time a referendum, asking the public for their support for a specific model of government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-vows-to-hold-vote-on-republic-during-first-term-of-a-labor-government-20170728-gxkv15.html|title=Bill Shorten vows to hold vote on republic during first term of a Labor government|last=Massola|first=James|date=28 July 2017|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=28 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728113701/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-vows-to-hold-vote-on-republic-during-first-term-of-a-labor-government-20170728-gxkv15.html|archive-date=28 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Labor lost the election.

===2020s===
Following Labor's victory in the [[2022 Australian federal election|2022 federal election]], the new Prime Minister, [[Anthony Albanese]], appointed [[Matt Thistlethwaite]] as the [[Assistant Minister for the Republic]], signalling a commitment to prepare Australia for a transition to republic following the next election.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/01/minister-republic-twilight-queen-reign-good-opportunity-next-for-australia |title=New minister for republic says 'twilight' of Queen's reign chance 'to discuss what comes next for Australia' |last=Butler |first=Josh |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=2 June 2022 }}</ref> After the [[death of Elizabeth&nbsp;II]], former prime minister [[Julia Gillard]] opined that Australia would inevitably choose to be a republic, but agreed with Albanese's timing on debate about the matter.<ref>{{Cite web |language=en-GB |title=Julia Gillard says Australia will ultimately become republic after death of Queen Elizabeth II |last=Karp |first=Paul |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 September 2022 |accessdate=16 September 2022 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/16/julia-gillard-says-australia-will-ultimately-become-republic-after-death-of-queen-elizabeth-ii}}</ref> When asked if he supported another referendum following the Queen's death, Albanese stated it was "not the time" to discuss a republic.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/12/anthony-albanese-says-now-not-the-time-to-discuss-republic|title=Anthony Albanese says 'now not the time' to discuss republic|first=Amy|last=Remeikes|work=The Guardian|date=12 September 2022|accessdate=19 September 2022}}</ref> Instead the government had focused on the referendum to enshrine an [[Indigenous Voice to Parliament]], which has been described by the assistant minister as a "critical first step" before a vote possibly some time in 2026.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bramston |first=Troy |date=19 August 2023 |title=Republic a next step on 'journey to maturity' |pages=6 |work=The Weekend Australian |publisher=News Corp Australia |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/labor-looks-to-ireland-for-republic-model/news-story/68376c02a0769d0ae0d3ebe0129d114c |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had stated: "I couldn't envisage a circumstance where we changed our head of state to an Australian head of state but still didn't [[Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians|recognise First Nations people in our constitution]]."<ref>{{cite interview |last=Albanese |first=Anthony |subject-link=Anthony Albanese |interviewer-last=Millar |interviewer-first=Lisa  |interviewer-link=Lisa Millar |title=Television Interview ABC News Breakfast |work=ABC News Breakfast |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |location= |url=https://www.pm.gov.au/media/television-interview-abc-news-breakfast-4 |date=12 September 2022}}</ref> 

After the [[2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum|Voice referendum]] failed, the government began to prioritise immediate economic policy over constitutional reforms,<ref name="jan24">{{cite news |title=Australia abandons plans to hold referendum on replacing King Charles and becoming a republic |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-king-charles-referendum-albanese-republic-b2475117.html |access-date=17 March 2024 |work=The Independent |date=8 January 2024}}</ref> leading to concern from some republican leaders that a chance to hold another referendum would be delayed for a generation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGuirk |first=Rod |date=19 October 2023 |title=Failed referendum on Indigenous rights sets back Australian government plans to become a republic |url=https://apnews.com/article/australia-referendum-indigenous-voice-republic-c3558574bddf932081129847ba3808a2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026034735/https://apnews.com/article/australia-referendum-indigenous-voice-republic-c3558574bddf932081129847ba3808a2 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |access-date= |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sakkal |first=Paul |date=18 October 2023 |title=Republic could be 'doomed for a generation' after Voice referendum |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/republic-could-be-doomed-for-a-generation-after-voice-referendum-20231018-p5ed7g.html |url-access=subscription |access-date= |website=Brisbane Times |language=en}}</ref> In January 2024, the Labor government confirmed that a referendum was no longer a priority, however a break with the monarchy was still long-term party policy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fitzgerald |first=James |date=8 January 2024 |title=Australia puts republic referendum plan on hold |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-67916228 |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="jan24"/> 

On 28 July 2024, the position of assistant minister for the republic, which was first established on 1 June 2022, was abolished in a ministerial reshuffle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 July 2024 |title=Albanese’s new lineup signposts Labor’s areas of greatest weakness and effectively concedes he made mistakes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jul/29/albaneses-new-lineup-signposts-labors-areas-of-greatest-weakness-and-effectively-concede-he-made-mistakes |access-date=1 August 2024 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>