Australian PM says focus not on becoming a republic

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday that his government is currently focused on holding a referendum on Indigenous people's political rights,rather than efforts to become a republic.

The Voice to Parliament is a referendum to give Indigenous people the right to be consulted by lawmakers on matters that affect them, and a cornerstone of Albanese government policy.

One debate at a time, says Albanese

"The idea that you would have multiple debates at once I think is not feasible," Albanese told ABC Radio Sydney on Thursday.

"I want Australians to concentrate on the Voice to Parliament," he said when answering a question about the future of Australia under a monarchy.

He reiterated that right now the priority was not to remove the monarch as head of state.

"We should be proud of the fact that we share this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, at least 65,000 years. That should be something that needs to be fixed before other matters are debated."

Although, the center-left Labor Party leader's party wants an Australian president to replace the British monarch as head of state, he had recently skirted the issue saying that now is the time to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, and not to pursue "questions about our constitution."

Albanese will travel to London with 10 "everyday citizens'' who have contributed to local communities on Thursday afternoon, for the Queen's funeral which will take place on Monday, September 19.

The republic referendum

Australia gained its independence in 1901 after more than 100 years under British rule.

In 1999, a referendum which posed the question of removing the monarch as the head of state was put to the public in Australia. The notion of becoming a republic was narrowly rejected.

Alluding to the vote of 23 years ago, the PM Albanese said: "Getting constitutional change in this country is very difficult."

Albanese has not ruled out holding a referendum on the republic should he receive a second term as PM though.

Meanwhile, an Australia-wide poll of a cross-section of 1,012 people — conducted by Melbourne-based market researcher Roy Morgan shortly after Queen Elizabeth's death — found that 60% of those surveyed preferred Australia remaining under a monarchy instead of becoming a republic.

ss/jsi (AFP, AP)