Anthony Albanese’s minister supervising the push for to become a republic has admitted it’s ‘not a priority’ – prompting him to be confronted by an ABC anchor asking why he even has the job in the first place.
Assistant Minister for a Republic Matt Thistlethwaite told The n on the weekend that it is ‘a lot harder’ for the government to push for a national vote on ditching the monarchy in a second term, after the failure of the Voice referendum.
‘It’s not a priority at the moment,’ Mr Thislethwaite was quoted saying. ‘The priority for the government at the moment is obviously dealing with cost-of-living pressure.’
Mr Thistlethwaite’s role came under intense scrutiny during the acting defence minister’s appearance on ABC News Breakfast on Monday.
Host Michael Rowland questioned whether it was necessary to have a minister when becoming a republic was not at the top of the agenda for the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s (pictured with partner Jodie Hayden) plan for an n republic has been delayed indefinitely after Labor minister said it ‘is not a priority’
Assistant Minister for a Republic, Matt Thislethwaite (left) had his role brought into question by the ABC’s Michael Rowland (right) for saying the referendum had become a ‘longer-term’ goal
‘You don’t really need to be Assistant Minister for the Republic if it’s being booted down the road here,’ he said.
Mr Thislethwaite admitted there were more pressing issues that needed to be dealt with first.
‘Our priority is cost-of-living pressures for ns, all of our policies have been directed at assisting ns through that period,’ he said.
‘Our cheaper childcare, energy rebates, cheaper medicines, fee-free TAFE – it’s all about assisting communities and households with cost-of-living.’
‘Having said that, longer-term, it’s part of the Labor platform that we believe that we should have an n as our head of state.’
While refusing to provide a timeframe for when a republic referendum would be put forward to ns, Mr Thislethwaite said he wasn’t ‘giving up’ on the cause.
‘I’m certainly committed to and still passionate about hopefully having one day one of our own as our head of state,’ he said.
‘The current method of selecting our head of state is undemocratic, it doesn’t represent modern n values.’
‘That’s something that we want to begin a discussion with ns on in the longer-term.’
The minister also admitted the Voice referendum’s humiliating defeat on October 14 had hampered progress in putting forward another referendum to the people.
‘We know that, unfortunately, the Voice referendum wasn’t successful, but we’re not giving up,’ Mr Thislethwaite said.
Mr Thistlethwaite was accused of showing disrespect to Queens Elizabeth after meeting senior bureaucrats to discuss a referendum six days after the monarch died on September 8.
He argued the meeting had been planned before the death of the Queen and said the group had concluded it was not the right time for a referendum.
‘This was a longstanding meeting that had been organised, prior to the queen’s passing, with departmental representatives,’ he told The n.
While admitting the issue wasn’t on the cards in the near future, Mr Thiselthwaite signalled the government’s intentions to eventually cut ties with King Charles and Queen Camilla (pictured)
‘It was the first meeting I’d organised with the secretary of the department and other representatives, and it was mainly to discuss resources (and the role) I would play in the voice referendum.
‘In terms of the republic, given that the queen had just passed, we agreed that it wasn’t the appropriate time to discuss the republic and that the priority for the government was the voice referendum.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has long been a stalwart for an n republic and severing ties with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Shortly after his 2022 election win, Mr Albanese created the role of Assistant Minister for the Republic for Mr Thislethwaite to assist the Governor-General in hopes of gaining the support of the public for a future referendum.
Supporters of a republic welcomed Mr Albanese’s win and the introduction of the role but were apprehensive about what it achieved.
‘I’m not quite sure what Matt Thistlethwaite would do in the job, but presumably he’ll go to a number of dinners,’ academic and republican Dennis Altman told the ABC in 2022.
Mr Thislethwaite said the role was about ‘explaining to people that we do have a foreign monarch as our head of state, we have a proxy representative in the Governor-General, but that we can have an n as our head of state’.
‘An n republic is about celebrating our independence and our unique culture and identity,’ he said shortly after being appointed.
While some thought the death of the wildly-popular Queen Elizabeth would spark a push for to become a republic, the government had its sights on the Voice referendum.
Those hopes were allayed after the Voice was struck down in every jurisdiction bar the n Capital Territory.