Dumping the royals without a referendum: Labor MP’s radical plan
Labor MP Julian Hill is urging Australia to sever ties with the British monarchy and become a republic without a referendum.
The Labor backbencher for Bruce, Victoria, is pushing for a plan to get state and federal MPs to vote to change royal succession laws.
According to Hill, members of parliament should be responsible for changing the laws rather than the Australian public.
If the proposal is accepted, Queen Elizabeth would be the country’s last ever monarch.
“Like the majority of MPs, I believe our nation should have an Australian as our head of state,” Hill told parliament last week.
“Our head of state should be a citizen not a foreigner. Our head of state should live here, not in Britain.”
He is pushing for the Governor-General to become Australia’s head of state rather than a member of the royal family such as Prince Charles.
The plan reveals that the Governor-General would serve five years in the position before a successor is appointed by the Chief Justice of the High Court.
“This parliament should seriously examine a different and an easier way, which may well be legal,” said Hill.
“I don’t believe we should have a president; we should stick with the Governor-General … and there should be a constitutional ban on any member of parliament becoming Governor-General, and on a Governor-General ever being elected to a parliament.”
Hill is not a fan of the British royal family, saying he “could not give a hoot about their lives”.
“If we have to, amend the laws to make the Governor-General the Queen, put him in drag if needed, as long as our head of state is in Australia,” said Hill.