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Australia is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm. Queen Elizabeth II has been the reigning monarch since 6 February 1952. Under the Constitution of Australia, the Queen's powers are delegated to the Governor-General, who is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia. In all matters relating to Australia, the Queen acts solely on the advice of her Australian ministers.

In Australia, the Queen's official title is: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. ("Commonwealth" here refers to the Commonwealth of Nations, not the Commonwealth of Australia.) In common practice, Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen" or "The Queen of Australia" when in Australia, or when abroad and acting on the advice of her Australian ministers.

Constitutional monarchy in Australia

International vs. domestic role

One of the most complicated features of the Australian Monarchy is that it is in fact a shared monarchy. Some 53 independent sovereign states, including Australia, are members of the Commonwealth of Nations (Formerly The British Empire, and later British Commonwealth). 16 of these countries are specifically Commonwealth Realms who recognise the same Queen, Elizabeth II, separately, as their head of state.

Queen Elizabeth II, is the current Monarch's conventional title for all her Commonwealth Realms, but is generally regarded as "Queen of Australia" only when she is actually present in Australia or when she otherwise performs ceremonies relevant to Australia. Some examples are conferring Australian Honours while in the United Kingdom or participating in Australian remembrance ceremonies in France.

Most of the Queen of Australia's domestic duties are performed by the Governor General of Australia at the federal level and Governors at the state level. There are few duties which must be performed specifically by the Queen (e.g., signing the appointment papers of Governors), or require assent by the Queen as well as the Governor General, but on occasion the Monarch must personally act directly in partisan affairs.

In addition to the Queen's role in each of her realms, the Australian Monarch is also the nominal Head of the Commonwealth. Though this title, does not imply any political power over member nations, and does not automatically belong to the monarch, only the shared Monarch of the Commonwealth Realms has ever held this title.

Constitutional role

Although Queen Elizabeth II is also monarch of the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries, each nation – including Australia – is sovereign and independent of the others. The identity of the sovereign is determined by the conditions set out in the Act of Settlement. As a result of the Balfour Declaration of 1926 the dominions acquired the right to be considered equal to Britain rather than subordinate; an agreement that had the result of, in theory, a shared Crown that operates independently in each realm rather than a unitary British Crown under which all the dominions were subordinate. The Monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution, although it has often been called British since this time (in both legal and common language) for historical reasons and for convenience. The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927 was the first indication of this shift in law, further elaborated in the Statute of Westminster, 1931. Under the Statute of Westminster, 1931, Australia has a common monarchy with Britain and the other Commonwealth Realms and cannot change the rules of succession without the unanimous consent of the other Realms, unless Australia explicitly leaves the shared monarchy relationship by means of a constitutional amendment.

On all matters of state to do with Australia, the monarch is advised solely by the Australian federal and state premiers. Effective with the Australia Act, 1986 no British government can advise the Monarch on any matters pertinent to Australia.

Succession to the throne is by male-preference primogeniture and governed by the provisions of the Act of Settlement and the English Bill of Rights. These documents are now part of Australian constitutional law. As Australia's rules of succession are identical to those of the United Kingdom (by the Statute of Westminster), see Succession to the British Throne for more information.

As in the UK, the Queen's role is almost entirely symbolic and cultural, and the powers that are constitutionally hers are exercised wholly upon the advice of the elected government. In exceptional circumstances, however, the Queen or Governor-General may act against such advice based upon her reserve powers – as when Governor-General Kerr dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam due to a stalemate over government funding between the House of Representatives and the Senate. (see Australian constitutional crisis of 1975). For the most part, however, the Monarch functions as a rubber stamp and a symbol of the legal authority under which all governments operate. It has been correctly said since the death of Queen Anne (1714), the last monarch to head the British cabinet (when almost all of Australia was still occupied only by Indigenous Australians), that the monarch "reigns" but does not "rule". For more explanation of the Queen's role, see Governor General of Australia.

All powers of state are constitutionally reposed in the Queen, who is represented at the federal level by the Governor-General of Australia and at the state level by Governors. The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen upon the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia. The six Governors are also appointed by the Queen upon the advice of the state premiers. The great majority of the Queen's Australian duties are performed by her representatives in Australia except those that explicitly or implicitly require the Queen to perform them. It is also possible that if the Governor-General decided to go against the Prime Minister's or the government's advice, the Prime Minister could appeal directly to the Queen or even recommend that the Queen dismiss the Governor-General.

Royal Assent and proclamation are required for all acts of Parliament and of the state legislatures. Territorial legislatures are subject to the oversight of the Government of Australia. States and their legislatures, as sovereign entities, are not.

The Administrator of Australia's Northern Territory, is appointed by the Governor in Council at the recommendation of the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. But as the territories are not sovereign entities, the administrator is not a representative of the Sovereign. They receive instruction from the said Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

Cultural role

The Crown's role can be seen in numerous places within Australian life. For instance, the Queen is ceremonial head of the Australian honours system. As such, only she can approve the creation of an honour, which she does as requested by government of Australia. The Governor-General administers all responsibilities relating to Australian honours on the Queen's behalf.

Queen Elizabeth's birthday is April 26, however since 1953 the official birthday of Australia's Monarch has been a national holiday known as the Queen's Birthday, normally the second Monday in June in all states and territories except Western Australia where it is set each year by vice-regal proclamation, though this is usually the last Monday of September or first Monday of October. It is on this day that the "Queen's Birthday Honours List", which outlines the newly inducted members of the Order of Australia, is announced.

The Queen is a regular visitor to Australia. The cultural importance that Australians attached to the monarchy as a British institution, however, visibly declined in the decades following World War II as Australia began to emerge and blossom into a mature nation in her own right. The federal and state governments now recognise and promote the Queen's role as monarch of Australia as separate to her position as Queen of the United Kingdom. For example, though God Save the Queen remains the Royal Anthem, Advance Australia Fair has been adopted as the National Anthem, both by proclamation of Governor-General Ninian Stephen on 19 April, 1984. The Vice-Regal Salute is the first four and last four bars of Advance Australia Fair. The Vice-Regal Salute is played only for the governor-general and each governor, because they represent the Crown.

The Queen's image remains on Australian coins, some currency and postage stamps. Her portrait is still found in some government buildings, military installations, schools, and Australian embassies abroad. Crowns are also visible on police forces badges, military badges, and some state coats of arms.

Neither the Queen, the Governor-General, nor any governor has any religious role in Australia. There have been no established churches in Australia since before federation in 1901. This is one of the key differences from the Queen's role in the United Kingdom where she is Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As the Queen of Australia is also the Queen of the United Kingdom, the monarch cannot be a Roman Catholic or married to one and must be in communion with the Church of England upon ascending the throne.

Legal role

The legal personality of the monarch in Australia is referred to as "Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Australia", and likewise for the states and territories (i.e., "in Right of South Australia," etc.). For example, if a lawsuit is filed against the federal government, the respondent is formally described as Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Australia. (Naturally, the Queen herself takes no more role in such an affair than in any other business of government. Indeed, in cases in which, for example, a state sues the federal government, it would formally be Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Victoria v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Australia.)

As a symbol of the courts' legitimacy, and their judicial authority, an image of the Queen or the Royal Arms are always displayed. Itinerant judges will display an image of the Queen and the Australian flag when holding a session away from an established court room.

The oath of allegiance to Australia, sworn by soldiers, judges and parliamentarians, is an oath of allegiance to the monarch as Sovereign of Australia, and to his/her heirs and successors according to law. Since 1994 new Australian citizens have taken a pledge of allegiance to Australia and its values only. (See: Australian Nationality Law)

History

Since the establishment of the colony of Sydney Cove, Australia has been the territory of a monarchy or a monarchy in its own right. Kings and queens reigning over Australia have included the those of the UK (from George III of the United Kingdom in 1788 to King George VI in 1952), to Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Australia today.

Following federation in 1901, the gradual "Australianisation" of the Crown began.

The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 initiated the gradual replacement of the concept of a singular crown throughout the British Empire with that of a shared crown making each dominion (as well as the United Kingdom) a separate Realm with the Crown worn by the common monarch. This idea was further enhanced by the Statute of Westminster 1931, which granted the dominions of the Commonwealth autonomy from the British parliament and equality with the United Kingdom. When a new Royal Style and Titles Act was passed at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, it explicitly identified the Queen's role in the United Kingdom and her role in Australia separately, with her role as Queen of the United Kingdom listed before her role as Queen of Australia. This format was consistent with the form of the Queen's titles in the other Realms, as had been agreed upon by all the Realm governments in 1953.

Her title in 1953 was:

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Australia and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

When the Parliament of Australia passed the Royal Style and Titles Act (1973), this act repealed sections of the Royal Style and Titles Act (1953), and her Australian style and titles became:

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.

It will be noted that the title "Defender of the Faith" was deleted by this Act from the Queen's Australian style and titles. In the United Kingdom the Church of England is a state church, and the Queen is its "Supreme Governor." Australia has no state church, and neither the Queen nor the Governor-General have any official connection with the Anglican Church of Australia.

Australia gained full independence as an autonomous constitutional monarchy when the constitution was patriated under Prime Minister Hawke in 1986, making it Australian law rather than an act of the British parliament that required amendment in both jurisdictions.

Any change to the constitution, including the position of the monarch or the monarch's representatives in Australia, has always required an absolute majority in both houses of the federal parliament, and the approval in a referendum of the proposed amendment by a majority of electors nationwide, and a majority in a majority of the states, and the approval of a majority of electors in each state specifically impacted by the amendment.

Debate on the monarchy

Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy has debated almost since Federation in 1901. However, it was not until the 1970s when some Australian politicians seriously began to reconsider Australia's constitutional framework, though at that time the Australian public, overall, showed little support for, or even concern about, constitutional change. At this point there was a downplaying of the Crown in Australia, with references to the monarch and the monarchy being slowly removed from the public eye (e.g., the Queen's portrait from public buildings and schools, and the Royal Mail became a crown corporation, Australia Post).

By the 1990s movement on the part of Australian governments towards a republic gained an increased speed. In 1991 the Australian Labor Party was the first national party to make an Australian republic a part of their platform, and Prime Minister Paul Keating formed the Republic Advisory Committee to investigate the potential issues which would need to be overcome for Australia to become a republic. In 1993 references to the Queen were removed from the Oath of Citizenship taken by new Australian citizens, to be replaced by a pledge to the country and people, "whose democratic beliefs I share and whose laws I shall obey." The State of Queensland removed all reference to the Monarchy from its legislation, barristers in New South Wales were no longer to be appointed to Queen's Counsel, Australian organisations could no longer apply for Royal Charters, and into the 2000s the New South Wales government passed legislation forcing the removal of all crowns from the exterior and interior of government buildings. Some monarchists call these moves republicanism by stealth, and argue that the process of downplaying the monarchy has led to widespread misunderstandings about the institution and how Australia is governed.

It was in 1991 that the Australian Republican Movement formed as a non-partisan group advocating the constitutional change to a republic. In response, the Australian Monarchist League, founded in 1943, shifted its focus towards defending the Australian Crown, and in 1992 the group Australians for Constitutional Monarchy was founded as another non-partisan group dedicated to maintaining Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy.

In 1999 Australia held a referendum on whether or not the nation should move from it's current status as a constitutional monarchy to that of a republic, thereby removing the Monarchy from Australia. 54.4% voted No to the proposal.

Public opinion polls have clearly shown Australians' mixed feelings towards the monarchy. Some polls show a majority of Australians support the creation of a republic, while others show a majority favour retaining the current system. Generally, however, in recent years the prevailing mood towards the monarchy suggested by most polls is one of indifference or apathy.

Post referendum

Four months after the referendum on an Australian republic, the Queen returned to Australia in 2000. Generally she toured rural regions, due to greater support in those areas for the monarchy, as some speculated. However, she did travel to Sydney, where in a speech at the Conference Centre in Darling Harbour, she stated:

"My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome. For some while it has been clear that many Australians have wanted constitutional change... You can understand, therefore, that it was with the closest interest that I followed the debate leading up to the referendum held last year on the proposal to amend the Constitution. I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for you, the Australian people, and you alone to decide by democratic and constitutional means. It should not be otherwise. As I said at the time, I respect and accept the outcome of the referendum. In the light of the result last November I shall continue faithfully to serve as Queen of Australia under the Constitution to the very best of my ability, as I have tried to do for the last 48 years."

During that visit, and one later in 2002 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee as Queen of Australia, little controversy followed her. It was reported that generally Australians greeted her with respect, though in diminished numbers compared to earlier visits.

In March, 2006 organisers of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne came under fire when it was announced that they would not play God Save the Queen at the ceremonies where the Queen was to open the Games. Despite the fact that by Australian law the song is officially the Australian Royal Anthem, to be played whenever the Sovereign is present, and that it is not the official National Anthem of either England or the United Kingdom, a spokeswoman for the Games organisers stated: "We are not required to play the English national anthem at the opening ceremony and we shall not be playing the English national anthem at the opening ceremony." After repeated calls from Prime Minister John Howard, organisers agreed to play eight bars of the Royal Anthem at the opening ceremony. However, there remains speculation that the opening of the Games could be "thrown into chaos" should thousands of Australians continue to sing God Save the Queen after the eight bars are complete, drowning out singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as called for by Australians for Constitutional Monarchy Convener David Flint, and National Party leader Peter Ryan. In the end, with the crowd singing along, Dame Kanawa sang Happy Birthday to the Queen, the rendition of which then turned into an abbreviated God Save the Queen, and at which point the majority of attendees at the stadium stood.

Monarchs of Australia

A list of monarchs of Australia:

Hanover/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha/Windsor line
George III of the United Kingdom 1788-1820: Established colony of Sydney Cove
George IV of the United Kingdom 1820-1830
William IV of the United Kingdom 1830-1837
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom 1837-1901: Signed Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
File:Edward vii england.JPG Edward VII of the United Kingdom 1901-1910
File:GeorgeV.jpg George V of the United Kingdom 1910-1936: Signed Statute of Westminster, 1931
File:Edward-viii-sm.jpg Edward VIII of the United Kingdom 1936
File:Georgius VI.jpg George VI of the United Kingdom 1936-1952
File:Ac.thequeen.jpg Elizabeth II of Australia 1952-present: First to be titled separately as Queen of Australia.

Royal Visits

Since 1867 there have been over fifty visits by a member of the Royal Family to Australia, though only six of those came before 1954.

The first was a visit by Prince Alfred, son of Queen Victoria, in 1867, during his round the world voyage. He toured Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. He was shot, by Henry James O'Farrell, in an assasination attempt while picnicking on the beach in the Sydney suburb of Clontarf, on March 12, 1868. He recovered fully and continued on to New Zealand seven months later.

Prince George came to Australia with his older brother Prince Albert, in 1880, as midshipmen on the HMS Bacchante.

In 1901 Prince Edward and his wife, Alexandra, were planning an Empire tour. However, the death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, meant the couple had to prepare for a coronation in 1902. Consequently, Edward's son Prince George, and his wife, Mary, were consigned to undertake the voyage instead. After arriving at the Domain, Sydney (where some 100,000 people were in attendance), one of the Prince's main tasks in Australia was to open the newly formed federal parliament, stating at the conclusion of his speech: "Gentlemen of the Senate and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, it affords me much pleasure to convey to you this message from His Majesty. I now, in his name and on his behalf, declare Parliament open."

Prince Edward arrived in Victoria on April 2, 1920, representing his father, King George V (previously Prince George), to thank Australians for their participation in the First World War. During his tour his railway carraige overturned, however the Prince remained unharmed, and later made light of the situation, an act which endeared him to Australians, and causing them to give him the nickname the "Digger Prince."

In 1927 Prince Albert, and wife Elizabeth, sailed into Sydney harbour, attracting Australia's first gathering of more than one million people. The principal duty of the Prince on this visit was to open the provisional Parliament House in Canberra, on May 9, 1927. They spent twelve days in New South Wales, seven in Queensland, four in Tasmania, eleven in Victoria, six in South Australia, six in Western Australia, and three in the ACT, with the remaining ten for traveling and recreation. According to a report by the Director-General of the royal visit, Cyril Brudenell White, "the Royal Visitors had expressed the wish that when travelling through the States they might have opportunities of seeing and of being seen by, the greatest number of the general public. They especially desired to meet Returned Soldiers, New Settlers and School Children." On May 9, Prince Albert reviewed over 2000 Australian troops with various air squadrons flying overhead. One plane, that of Flying Officer Charles Ewan, crashed, Ewan dying that evening in hospital.

Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch of Australia to set foot on Australian soil, coming ashore at Farm Cove, Sydney, on February 3, 1954. She had two years earlier been on route to Australia when her father died while she was in the Treetops Hotel, in Kenya, forcing her to return to the UK. Once finally in Australia, with her husband Prince Philip, she undertook a journey through the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, including greeting 70,000 ex-servicemen and women at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and opening the Australian Parliament in Canberra. In all, the Queen traveled 10,000 miles by air, making approximately 33 flights, 2000 miles by road (130 hours in cars in 207 trips), visiting all capitals except Darwin, and 70 country towns. This extensive travel allowed some 75% of the Australian population to see the Queen at least once during the tour.

At the conclusion of the tour, Prime Minister Robert Menzies stated in an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald:

"It is a basic truth that for our Queen we have within us, sometimes unrealised until the moment of expression, the most profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion. It does not require much imagination to realise that when eight million people spontaneously pour out this feeling they are engaging in a great act of common allegiance and common joy which brings them closer together and is one of the most powerful elements converting them from a mass of individuals to a great cohesive nation. In brief, the common devotion to the Throne is a part of the very cement of the whole social structure."

In 1956 Prince Philip opened the Olympic Games in Melbourne, and opened the Empire Games in Perth in 1962, while on a tour through Western Australia, New South Wales and the ACT. In 1965 he opened the Royal Australian Mint, and in 1968 went to Australia to open the Duke of Edinburgh Study Conference.

Planned as a less formal tour than the one in 1954, the Queen returned in 1963, touring all the states and territories, with the primary purpose being to lead the Canberra jubilee celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the naming of the capital. During this trip she also toured the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia base in Alice Springs. In preparation for this tour, Sir Roy Dowling, the Queen's Australian Secretary for the visit, was warned about Northern Territory mosquitoes. Dowling was warned, "You could be placed in an extremely embarrassing situation if the Queen's skin was marked and if the press published pictures and stories about those marks."

The Queen returned to Australia again in 1973 to open the Sydney Opera House.

Prince Charles attended the Geelong Grammar School for one year in 1966. This was not an official trip as the Prince was there primarily for schooling. A January 10, 1966, press release made this clear, stating that he should be left alone by journalists: "The Prince of Wales will be engaged in full time study in Australia and will not undertake any official engagements. The Queen and the Commonwealth Government have requested that the Prince’s visit should be treated as a private one and that he should be allowed the same freedom from public attention as any other school boy."

He returned in 1967 as the Queen's representative at the memorial service for Prime Minister Harold Holt, and again in 1974. On March 20, 1983, Prince Charles, this time with his then wife Diana, and their son Prince William, landed in Alice Springs.

On March 11, 2006, Prince Edward visited Australia to announce the winners of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, lunch with Prime Minister John Howard, visit a neo-natal unit in Heidelberg, visit with victims of bush fires in Victoria, and attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.

One day later the Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Australia where the Queen opened the Commonwealth Games. As well, the Royal couple attended a Commonwealth Day ceremony in Sydney, met with firefighters in Canberra, attended a parliamentary dinner, and watched some of the events at the games.

The Crown and the Australian Defence Force

The Crown retains a prominent place within the Australian Defence Force, which consists of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, and Royal Australian Navy. Section 68 of the Austrlian Constitution says: "The command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General as the Queen's representative." As this Act was passed 9th July, 1900, no mention of the air force is made, as aircraft were not then invented. Subsidiary and subsequent legislation handles these matters.

The Sovereign's position and role in the military is reflected by Australian naval vessels bearing the prefix Her Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) (subsequently His Majesty's Australian Ship during the reign of a king), and all members of the armed forces must swear allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors.

Members of the Royal Family have presided over many military ceremonies, including Trooping of the Colours, inspections of the troops, and anniversaries of key battles. Whenever Her Majesty is in Canberra she lays a wreath at the Australian War Memorial. As well, two other examples of Elizabeth II acting as Queen of Australia abroad were associated with the Australian military; one in 2003 when she dedicated the Australian War Memorial in Hyde Park, London, and the other in 2004 when she attended the 60th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, France.

Members of the Royal Family are Colonel-in-Chief of many Australian regiments, including: the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery; Royal Australian Army Medical Corps; the Royal Australian Armoured Corps; the Wellington Regiment; and the Royal Australian Corps of Signal, amongst many others.

Act of Settlement

Some Australians feel this Act is in conflict with Australian law preventing discrimination on grounds of religion, but this issue has never been tested. However, the principle has been tested elsewhere. In Toronto, Canada, Toronto city councillor Tony O'Donohue launched a court action in 2002 arguing that the Act of Settlement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

External links

• Royal Styles and Titles Act
• The Australian Monarchist League
• Australians for Constitutional Monarchy

See also

• Monarchy in Canada
• British Monarchy
• Commonwealth Realm
• Prime Ministers of Queen Elizabeth II
• List of Commonwealth visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
• Australians for Constitutional Monarchy
• Australian Constitution
• Australian republicanism

Footnotes

1. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette; No. S 142; 19 April, 1984
2. Queen keen to stay head of state
3. Queen's anthem snubbed
4. Rebels urged to sing royal anthem
5. Melbourne welcomes Commonwealth Games with lavish opening ceremony
6. 80,000 stand and sing God Save The Queen
7. Diary Three: The Games begin - an audio blog by ABC's Gerry Collins
8. National Archives of Australia: King George VI (1936–52)
9. National Museum of Australia: Royal Romance
10. National Archives of Australia: Royal Visit 1954
11. National Archives of Australia: Royal Visit 1963
12. National Archives of Australia: Prince Charles
13. Australian Government: Royal Visits to Australia
14. National Archives of Australia: Royalty and Australian Society
15. Yahoo News: Prince Edward to visit Vic fire victims
16. ABC News: Royal couple set for busy Aust schedule
17. Queen, Howard honour war dead
18. World leaders hail D-Day veterans

• British Empire
• Commonwealth realms
• Government of Australia
• History of Australia
• Monarchies
• Australian constitutional law