Editing Republicanism in Australia (section)

===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>