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Aussies in Fold While Queen's on Throne

Posted Jan 28, 08 12:16 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – Unlike his firmly monarchist predecessor, Australian PM Kevin Rudd is an enthusiastic republican who would like his country to be independent of the British crown. But Australians won’t be voting on the issue until Queen Elizabeth's reign is over, says the leader of the republican movement. That's because while the majority favor becoming a republic, many Australians still have great affection for the monarch.

The best moment for a vote, argues John Turnbull, "is at the end of the queen's reign—when she dies or when she abdicates." Her departure would be a "watershed event that would galvanize the population" into settling the issue. The last republican initiative, in 1999, failed because Australians couldn't agree on whether they wanted their head of state elected by voters or by parliament, reports Reuters.
Sources:: Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald, Wikipedia

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Malcolm Turnbull, architect of a 1999 vote   (Getty Images)
In this photo released Monday, Dec. 24, 2007, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivers her Christmas Day message for broadcast on television and the Internet on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007, at Buckingham Palace...   (Associated Press)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Imperial State Crown, reads the Queen's Speech from the throne in the House of Lords in London, during the State Opening of Parliament, in this Tuesday Nov. 6,...   (Associated Press)
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd waves to media, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The high level ministerial meetings of the U.N. Climate Conference began Wednesday. (AP Photo/Firdia...   (Associated Press)
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks to media in Dili, the capital of East Timor during his first visit there as prime minister Friday Dec. 14, 2007. (AP Photo/Jordao Henrique)   (Associated Press)
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