After Queen’s death: Is the royal family still in Australia?

Even after the death of the Queen, Australian cities wear ribbons of mourning. However, there is already an ongoing debate as to whether the country should remain loyal to the British crown. But Australia will not become a republic so soon.

Lola Forester is a presenter at an Aboriginal radio station in Sydney. It is of little use for funeral ceremonies in faraway London. Racism and police violence are his themes today. For many indigenous peoples in Australia, the monarchy is a symbol of colonialism.

And they are still suffering the consequences, the presenters say. “We have mixed feelings. We eventually want to be recognized here as sovereign. We want equal rights for everyone in this country, and we haven’t had them yet.”

First vote failed in 1999

In addition to the official flag, the tribal flag has recently been flown permanently over the famous Harbor Bridge. Australia is at half mast. The death of the queen has stunned many across the country. Also Ben Siderowitz. He’s just opening a London pub. Despite his British ancestry, he wants a head of state with an Australian passport.

“The traditions are great and they have been around for a long time. But we are a new, different country,” he says. “We have developed our own identity. It is therefore appropriate that we take the Queen’s death as an opportunity to become a republic.”

In front of the Governor’s House, people laid flowers in memory of the Queen, with whom entire generations grew up. The constitution would have to be changed for Australia to become a republic. by referendum. Such a vote failed in 1999.

Albanese does not want debate at the moment

Royalists such as the Australian Monarchists’ League’s Alessando Rossini expect most Australians to continue to rely on a monarch – as a neutral figure beyond party factions. He says most Australians do not trust their politicians. “If you take this into account, the question arises why should we give politicians even more power with the republic. If it doesn’t work with the tasks assigned to us.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has gone to London for the big funeral. In times of mourning, he does not want any debate about the republic. It is known that he wants her. The Prime Minister had appointed Secretary of State for Republican Affairs even before the Queen’s death. But he does not want to vote for a second term in three years at the earliest.

Historian McCreery: Many Royal Visitors

According to historian Cindy McCreery of the University of Sydney, there will be frequent royal visits during this time. After Brexit, Britain wants to be closer to allies around the world, and vast, prosperous Australia is a coveted partner. “From a British point of view, Australia ideally remains loyal to the British monarch. But if Australia becomes a republic, it is in London’s interest that Australia remains part of the Commonwealth and remains a friend and ally.”

Sydney still wears a black ribbon every night. A black-and-white portrait of the queen is projected onto the opera’s white sail after sunset. But after Elizabeth’s funeral. II The debate should really begin about how fit the British royal family is still to Australia.