CANBERRA—Republicans say the upcoming 2020 ideas summit in Canberra is the perfect opportunity to reignite the debate over whether Australia should finally break free of the British Crown.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has jumped on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's comments that he expects the republican debate to accelerate this year.
Shortly before meeting Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle yesterday, Mr Rudd said: "I expect in the course of the year ahead you'll have an accelerating public debate about the republic, and I welcome that".
Mr Rudd said although the issue wasn't a priority "right now" he remained a staunch republican.
The ARM says the summit is an opportunity to reconsider whether Australia should remain a constitutional monarchy.
"We welcome the Prime Minister's recognition that this is an important national debate," ARM chair Major-General Mike Keating said in a statement.
"The Australian people need to be fully engaged in this process and the 2020 Summit is a great place to start."
The ARM says if Australia is to renew its democracy the governance section of the summit "must" consider whether an unelected foreign monarch should continue to reign over the country.
"What can be more important to our future than Australia standing on its own two feet unfettered by our current formal allegiance to the British Crown," Major-General Keating said.
He called on the summit to demand the Federal Government and opposition work together to make the republic "a national priority".
But that seems unlikely to occur anytime soon.
Mr Rudd's suggestion that the nation currently had "other fish to fry" in terms of priorities was reiterated today by Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson.
"One of the things Mr Rudd said that I do agree with is that we've got more important issues to deal with at the moment," Dr Nelson told ABC Radio.
"I've not ever heard somebody say to me `Brendan my life's going to be so much easier when Australia becomes a republic'.
"It's a debate that continues to bubble along and it will come back again."
Dr Nelson, an avowed constitutional monarchist, said his biggest concern about an Australian republic was the risk of changing the present balance between the head of state and parliament.
The 2020 Summit, which will be attended by 1,000 leading Australians at Parliament House on April 19 and 20, aims to develop a long-term strategy for the nation's future.
Feeds