United Kingdom

Australian senator told to repeat oath after calling Queen ‘coloniser’

Under Australia’s constitution, all parliamentarians must swear allegiance to the monarch.

Green Party leader Adam Band doubled down on his colleague’s remarks, saying the Queen “always has been and always will be” a coloniser.

Last week, an assistant minister for the republic from the ruling Labor party said pledging allegiance to the Queen was “archaic and ridiculous”.

Matt Thistlethwaite said in an interview with Nine Newspapers: “This does not represent the Australia we live in and is further evidence of why we need to start discussing becoming a republic with our own head of state.

“We are no longer British,” he added.

The swearing-in ceremony was not the first time Ms Thorpe had sparked controversy, having previously said the Australian flag represented “dispossession, slaughter and genocide”.

The outburst in the Senate on Monday comes at a time of growing support for Australia’s indigenous people to have a voice in parliament.

Over the weekend, Premier Anthony Albanese announced plans to hold a referendum on recognizing First Nations people in the constitution and requiring them to be consulted on issues and decisions that affect their lives.

Such a move would bring Australia level with New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

Holding a referendum on Indigenous rights will effectively delay the move to hold a referendum on Australia becoming a republic.

Mr Albanese’s creation of the post of “Minister of the Republic” has led some commentators to believe that the likelihood of a referendum on whether to replace the Queen as head of state has increased.

Before being elected, the Australian prime minister said it was “inevitable” that the Queen would be replaced as Australia’s head of state.

However, the government has made it clear that it is no longer committed to a vote on the issue for the next three years.

A referendum on the republic is not expected before a public vote on giving Aboriginal Australians an institutional role in policy-making.

Recent polls suggest Republicans would enjoy a slim majority of 54 percent in the event of a referendum, but people are divided over the best way to choose a head of state.

Many Australians are divided over how to choose a suitable person to replace the Queen and are concerned about the involvement of politicians in the selection process.

The Australian Republican Movement proposed giving voters a final choice from a shortlist of candidates put forward by the federal, state and territory legislatures.

The federal parliament will nominate three candidates, while the individual states and territories will nominate one each.