The man tasked with overseeing Australia’s transition to a republic says the work done over the next three years will ensure the country is “ready to go in a second term of an Albanese government”.
Matt Thistlethwaite was on Wednesday sworn in as assistant minister for the republic by the Queen’s representative in Australia, the governor general, David Hurley.
Thistlethwaite joked with Hurley “your tenure is safe under us” – but his role may not survive a second term.
Labor’s 2021 national platform stated the party “supports and will work toward establishing an Australian republic with an Australian head of state”. The new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has spoken at events held by the Australian Republican Movement, telling a 2019 dinner “a modern Australian republic is an idea whose time has come”.
Thistlethwaite said on Wednesday his principal role would be to educate the Australian people about the current constitutional arrangements and the English monarch as the head of state.
As Queen Elizabeth “comes to the twilight of her reign, it’s a good opportunity for a serious discussion about what comes next for Australia,” the assistant minister told the Guardian.
“Literally hundreds of Australians could perform the role, so why wouldn’t we appoint an Australian as our pinnacle position under the constitution? It will take time, but if you want to do it properly, we should begin the discussion now, so we’re ready to go in a second term of an Albanese government.”
Albanese has pledged Labor will prioritise a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament and constitutional recognition for First Nations people in its first three years. A Labor spokesperson said in April that was the “only referendum we are committed to in our first term of government”.
Thistlethwaite said a referendum on Indigenous reforms “will come first and should come first” but a discussion on a republic was “the next natural step”.
The Australian Republic Movement chair, Peter FitzSimons, called Thistlethwaite’s appointment “the biggest breakthrough this century” for the cause.
“For the first time, Australia has a minister of the crown devoted to removing the crown,” FitzSimons said, quoting well-known monarchist Lyle Shelton. “The timing is perfect … we are on our way.”
Thistlethwaite – who is also the assistant minister for defence and veterans’ affairs – wants to be inclusive and insisted “one of the first meetings I want to have is with the Monarchists League”.
“I want to see if we can make this into an issue that unites Australians, not divides us. It’s about learning the lessons of 1999, avoiding the division around the model and finding a method of uniting.”
The ill-fated November 1999 referendum on a republic was led on the republican side by Malcolm Turnbull, who would later become Australia’s 29th prime minister.
Despite opinion polls suggesting Australians favoured ditching the monarchy, the 1999 push failed in every jurisdiction except the Australian Capital Territory.
Disagreement among republicans over how to select an Australian president was one factor. Thistlethwaite said his job would include public consultation on the model to be presented to the public – including “open questions” on the role of the British monarchy, how a president would be voted in, and whether Australia should remain in the Commonwealth.
The ARM wants an Australian head of state to be chosen by the public from a shortlist of candidates selected by state and territory governments. They would serve a five-year term.
“Barbados becoming a republic last year, with the British monarch’s involvement and being there for the official handover ceremony, was a good example,” Thistlethwaite said.
“Of the 54 member nations of the Commonwealth, most of them are republics, so Australia is in the minority. We can maintain our system of government and way of life but have an Australian as our head of state and recognise our independence.
“The relationship that the average Australian has with the royal family won’t change. They’ll still visit Australia, as they do other nations. They’ll regularly be in the media, they’d be welcome in Australia at any stage.”
The Queen is 96 years old, and media reporting in recent months has focused on her health.
“The next natural step around the timing [of a republic] is when the Queen hands over the reign or passes,” Thistlethwaite said on Wednesday.
“Many in the UK would see this as the next step for Australia on the path to maturity and independence. In my discussions, people in the UK see us as a powerhouse economy in the Asia-Pacific, diplomatically independent, with our own culture and identity, and many of them are amazed we haven’t done this earlier.”