PM Anthony Albanese Slams Door on Republic Referendum: ‘No More’ Votes While He’s in Charge
- Albanese rules out holding another referendum on becoming a republic, putting plans on ice
- PM says he respects the decisions made and the current system of government
- Albanese met with King Charles III at Balmoral Castle, describing him as ‘warm and engaging’
In a shocking move, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared that Australians will not be given the chance to decide whether the country should become a republic while he is in office. The PM’s bombshell announcement has effectively put plans for a republic on ice, sparking outrage among republicans.
Albanese made the stunning revelation on ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, saying: ‘I’ve made it clear that I wanted to hold one referendum while I was prime minister and we did that.’ The PM was referring to the 2023 referendum on establishing an Indigenous voice to parliament, which was defeated.
The Australian leader’s comments came after he met with King Charles III at Balmoral Castle during his visit to the UK. Albanese described the monarch as ‘warm and engaging’, saying: ‘He’s someone who I take a great deal of benefit from his insights into issues and it’s always good to have these one-on-one discussions with him.’
However, the PM’s decision to rule out a referendum on becoming a republic has been met with fierce criticism from republicans. Albanese’s comments have been seen as a major blow to the republican movement, which has been pushing for Australia to ditch the British monarch as its head of state.
Opposition foreign spokeswoman Michaelia Cash slammed the PM’s decision, saying: ‘If Mr Albanese wants to turn this into a little trip where he basically now goes to functions that are of a domestic political nature and are directly related to the Labor Party – well, he needs to be up front with that.’
Cash accused the PM of having a ‘double standard’, pointing out that Albanese had previously criticised a visit by former prime minister Scott Morrison to a Donald Trump rally in 2019. The opposition spokeswoman said: ‘Why don’t you try behaving like the head of our country, as opposed to turning this into a domestic political exercise?’
Albanese’s visit to the UK has been marred by controversy, with the coalition criticising his decision to attend the UK Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool. The PM defended his decision, saying: ‘I’ll be having discussions with ministers, not just with Prime Minister (Sir Keir) Starmer, about AUKUS and about that progress, taking the opportunity to sit down with government ministers.’