While marking the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of Gough Whitlam as prime minister on November 11, Anthony Albanese admitted he thought that an Australian republic is “common sense”.
“The problem is our constitution is very difficult to change and there have been attempts on two occasions to have that change enshrined in our constitution,”
the current PM told ABC Radio.
Since the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in 1788 to form a penal colony at the request of the British government, taking authority away from the land’s Indigenous peoples, it is fair to say we’ve had our ups and downs with the monarchy and royal family.
Is the royal family popular in Australia?
Indeed, Australia’s relationship status on Facebook would definitely read: “It’s complicated.”
When Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred carried out the first royal tour here in 1868, not only was there rioting in the streets, but Irishman Henry James O’Farrell shot and wounded him in Australia’s first assassination attempt.
Popularity picked up by 1954, when the newly minted Queen Elizabeth made her first visit as sovereign. It’s estimated seven million residents, out of a population of nine million, lined the streets to catch a glimpse as she and Prince Philip were driven around in open-top cars.
By 1970, that affection had started to wane, with growing calls in Australia and New Zealand for the countries to become republics.
This problem was solved when the Queen hopped out of her car and started to shake hands with the public on her first royal walkabout during her tour that year, swelling crowds Down Under once again.
Which royals had falling outs in Australia?
The drama isn’t one-sided, with Australia also being a source of contention among the Windsors.
Diana-mania was never more evident than during the 1983 visit by the former Prince and Princess of Wales.
While crowds chanted her name, the then Prince Charles was relegated to the sidelines.
“He took it out on me,” Diana told biographer Andrew Morton. “He was jealous; I understood the jealousy but I couldn’t explain that I didn’t ask for it.”
Years later, her youngest son, Prince Harry, would claim that his 2018 tour with wife Meghan Markle was the beginning of the end of their lives as working royals.
“It really changed after the Australia tour,” the Duke of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey in 2021. “It was the first time that the family got to see how incredible [Meghan] is at the job.”
Today, many view the monarchy as a stabilising institution above partisan politics. To others, it is an outdated relic in a multicultural nation where an Australian should be head of state.
Why isn’t Australia a republic?
The country was given the opportunity to have its say in 1999, voting in a two-question Republic referendum. It was defeated when 54.9 per cent voted no.
Malcolm Turnbull, who spearheaded the yes campaign years before his stint as PM, later said he believed it was more likely to succeed following the death of Elizabeth II.
“My own judgement is that the next time when you would have your best prospects would be at the end of the Queen’s reign – so when she dies or abdicates,” he told
the ABC in 2018.
So far, he’s been wrong. A November 2024 YouGov poll taken shortly after Charles’ first visit to our shores as King found 59 per cent of people would vote no in a republic referendum – an even larger margin than in 1999.
While there have always been protests associated with royal visits, approval ratings have historically risen following tours.
When the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought a 9-month-old Prince George to Australia in 2014, he was dubbed the “republican slayer”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are widely expected to return in 2026 with all of their children, which could put it firmly off the agenda.
“At the moment, my focus is on dealing with cost of living,” Albanese said when asked about the possibility he would call
for a new referendum.
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