A push to break away from the monarchy will have to be driven by regular Australians, an advocate has said, after the government distanced itself from the republican effort.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The role of assistant minister for the republic was scrapped in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's ministerial reshuffle on Sunday, but Australian Republic Movement co-chair Nathan Hansford said an appetite for independence remained.
"We've known for a long time that a referendum on an Australian republic was not really on the cards in this term of government," he told AAP.
"This is something that needs to be driven by Australians, it was never going to be a politicians' republic.
"We're much more diverse now and I just don't feel that we're represented properly by the British monarch. It really needs to be an Australian: somebody who's got the skills to do the job, somebody who lives here, somebody who's accountable to us, and working for us."
Australia's first attempt to become a republic failed in 1999 after a majority of voters across the country rejected the proposal, alongside a majority in every state.
More than two decades later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as assistant minister for the republic after winning the federal election, indicating Labor's desire to potentially part ways with the British monarchy.
A referendum on the republic was slated to be a second-term plan that would follow a vote on Indigenous recognition.
But in October 2023, Australia refused to enshrine an Indigenous advisory body into the constitution, putting a damper on further referendum efforts.
La Trobe University professor Dennis Altman said the republic movement often struggled to capture supporters.
"We're stuck with a system that - if you press most people - they think is rather silly, but at the same time, doesn't do anyone any harm so there's no great incentive to try and change it," he told AAP.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the recent coronation and Charles and Queen Camilla's upcoming trip to Australia could all reignite desire for a republic, Mr Hansford said.
"That visit in October is going to be a time when Australians really get to have a deep think about whether this is who we are in 2024, " he said.
But for Prof Altman, the most likely way forward would be if either New Zealand or Canada decided to ditch the monarchy first, triggering a flow-on effect in Australia.
"That would suddenly bring home the absurdity," he said.
Mr Thistlethwaite, who is now the assistant minister for immigration, said he was honoured to have been offered the new role.
The Australian Monarchist League welcomed the reshuffle decision after garnering more than 4000 signatures on a petition for the position to be abolished.
Australian Associated Press
