Australians say they are in no hurry to ditch Queen

Published on Sunday 29 August 2010 16:44

A SURPRISING poll has shown that the majority of Australians want to be ruled by the Queen.

Public support for a republic has slumped to a 16-year low, with more Australians in favour of retaining the monarchy - at least for now.

A Nielsen poll just released, but conducted two weeks before the recent federal election, showed that when asked if Australia should become a republic, 48 per cent of the 1,400 respondents were opposed to constitutional change - a rise of eight per cent since 2008.

Just 44 per cent of those surveyed wanted change, down eight per cent since 2008.

But when asked which of a series of statements best described their view, 31 per cent said Australia should never become a republic.

Some 34 per cent said Australia should become a republic only after the present Queen's reign ends. And, thirdly, 29 per cent said Australia should become a republic as soon as possible.

Backing for a republic is at its lowest since 1994, five years before Australia had a referendum on the topic, which overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.

Nielsen pollster John Stirton said that, despite the slump, there was a sense of inevitability Australia would one day become a republic, with a large number backing prime minister Julia Gillard's stance that the issue should be closely considered after a change of monarchy.

"These results suggest Australians will be more likely to support a republic when Queen Elizabeth II is no longer on the throne," he said.

Australia's top politicians are divided over the whole issue of republicanism.

During the election campaign Ms Gillard echoed the sentiments of her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, who said a republic was not a first-term priority and would only be considered after a monarch change.

Ms Gillard said a Labour government would work towards an agreement on the type of republic model - a sticking point in the 1999 defeat of the referendum. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he would not seek to put the republic question to a vote under a coalition government.

"The Australian people have demonstrated themselves to be remarkably attached to institutions that work,'' he said. "I think that our existing constitutional arrangements have worked well in the past. I see no reason whatsoever why they can't continue to work well in the future."

Greens leader Bob Brown introduced a bill in the Senate for a plebiscite to be held at the election.The motion was defeated but he said this weekend it was "high time we replaced the Union Jack with a dinkum Australian symbol on our flag."

Former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, who led the republican movement for seven years before entering parliament, said this weekend: "the best prospect and time for debate to get enough momentum to carry through is probably after the end of the Queen's reign."

Australia remains with a caretaker government. The Liberals won 73 seats while the centre-left Labour Party won 72. Independents took four seats, and the Greens one. Seventy-six seats are needed in order to form a government.

Negotiations between the two main parties and the independents who hold the balance of power are continuing.