Yesterday’s golden jubilee of the Queen of Australia passed virtually unnoticed by most Australians. It is sad in a way. The Queen has been the very model of a modern constitutional monarch. She has been dutiful, indeed generous, in devoting her time and energies to Australia on a ceremonial level given her huge range of other duties as Queen of a couple of dozen Commonwealth countries and her major role as constitutional monarch of Britain – a role requiring virtually full-time attention not only at a ceremonial level but also in keeping herself informed of poetical developments and even offering occasional private advice to the British Prime Minister.
The Queen has maintained great dignity in the face of the antics of an appalling family whose misdeeds are legendary enough not to need mentioning.
The sadness comes because Australia owes the Queen a great deal, particularly for her efforts in the early part of her reign when Australians by and large saw themselves as part of a white, English-speaking family rooted in the Westminster tradition with very close ties to Britain and it would be far better if Australians could be more comfortable with celebrating her 50 years on the throne and her role as head of the Commonwealth and thanking her generously for her efforts.
The irony is that if Australia had become a republic in 1999, that would have happened. There would have been a national maturing and self-confidence that would have enabled a greater celebration of the links with Britain and the 50 years of Queen Elizabeth’s rule. As it is, many Australians would feel embarrassed at such a celebration or that it would be a betrayal of their belief that Australia should become a republic.
It is sad that in all likelihood the Queen will become even more of an embarrassing irrelevance while ever Australia has the person who is the British monarch as the Australian monarch and at the apex of our Constitution.
Australia is a different country from the Australia of 1952. Britain has joined Europe. Our main trade is with Japan. Our main defence arrangements are with the United States. The composition of our population has changed dramatically – with large numbers of people coming from outside the British isles, for whom the institution and personalities of the monarchy are an irrelevance.
The only question for Australians is not whether we want or should have a republic, but tidying up the fine detail about the Australian head of state. The lack of enthusiasm over the golden jubilee has been in contrast to the much greater enthusiasm for the silver jubilee in 1977. The lack of enthusiasm is confirmation – if any were needed – that the result of the 1999 referendum was not an affirmation of support for the constitutional monarchy but a wariness over the model of the republic on offer.
Given the state of Australian sentiment, another reason for becoming a republic is so that we can give a more generous accord to the Queen who personally has in the past served us well and who in the future will continue to serve Australians and the citizens of all other Commonwealth nations as head of that organisation.
It would be as well to change our constitutional arrangements sooner rather than later. It is unlikely that we will be so lucky with the next monarch – and with a monarchy we do not get a choice on selection or an option for removal.