‘Don’t criticise us’: Australian Monarchist League defends welcoming Hanson and Deves as speakers

A pro-monarchy group has told its supporters “don’t criticise us” after backlash over the appearance of One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves at its annual conference, as conservative forces cross-pollinate ahead of a potential republic referendum.

The Australian Monarchist League, with new campaign chairman, Eric Abetz, will hold its conference on 5 November in Sydney. In recent days, the speakers list was announced, including on it the former Liberal candidate and Labor party president, Warren Mundine, Hanson and Deves.

The Albanese government’s commitment to a referendum in a potential second term in office and the recent death of Queen Elizabeth have reignited the republican debate, and while another monarchist group believes no such vote will actually occur, alliances and campaigns are quietly being formed.

Guardian Australia understands some members of the Monarchist League had raised concerns about the association with federal senator Hanson, as well as Deves, whose candidacy at the May election prompted a firestorm of criticism from LGBTQ+ groups following an avalanche of press about transphobic tweets which surfaced after her nomination. Deves later apologised for and deleted the social media posts.

On Tuesday, the Monarchist League’s national chair, Philip Benwell, took the unusual step of emailing all supporters to ask for patience.

“Please don’t judge us harshly. We are trying to do our best,” read the email subject line.

“Being on a campaign footing facing an overwhelming taxpayer-funded campaign by the government, it is important that we reach out to all those organisations and political movements opposed to a republic to bring them on side.”

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Benwell noted some members had raised concerns about “optics” but said the Monarchist League was “doing what we must to build up our support”, promising a new campaign face to operate under the name Vote No Republic if the referendum commences.

“Please don’t criticise us because you don’t like someone who is supporting the cause of the constitutional crown,” he wrote.

Contacted by Guardian Australia, Benwell wouldn’t confirm which guest speakers had been criticised, but admitted there had been internal disagreements.

“The majority agree. I was making the point to our members that we’re in a stage of building up support, we’re not out there in the public arena campaigning yet,” he said of his email.

“People are looking at optics but that’s something that comes later. First we have to build up support and alliances, for when the referendum comes.”

Benwell described Deves and Hanson as “staunch monarchists”.

“People may have opinions they express in different ways, but the underlying fact is whether they oppose a republic or not – that’s what we’re concerned about,” he said.

Deves said she was looking forward to the conference.

“The Australian monarchist movement is a true broad church. Our singular unifier is that we believe in a constitutional monarchy, and coming together to defend our constitution as it is gives us strength despite any differences we may have on other issues,” she told Guardian Australia.

“Despite how certain media platforms decided to portray me during the election, I am not a one-dimensional or single-issue person.”

Monarchist groups have been agitated by Labor’s appointment of Matt Thistlethwaite as assistant minister for the republic, which Abetz criticised as “a three-year taxpayer-funded head start” on the referendum.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, a longtime republic supporter, said his government would look to a referendum in its second term, pending the outcome of the voice to parliament vote.

Benwell said the Monarchist League had a “friendly rivalry” with Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, a separate anti-republican group headed by Prof David Flint. Benwell admitted ACM was the larger monarchist group in the 1999 referendum, but said the Monarchist League now had 53,000 members, with nearly half under the age of 40.

Benwell said supporters had spiked since the Queen’s death.

Flint said he would prefer to keep a “united front” with other monarchist groups, and claimed his group would be ready for a referendum if it came. But he doubted the government would follow through on its pledge.

“There’s not a great chance of a referendum,” Flint said.

“Support for a republic is going away, support is overwhelmingly against it, particularly among the young … We’ll win it.”