Premier Roger Cook says he would ‘love’ Australia to be a Republic, but constitutional change isn’t doable

The King won’t try to stop Australia from leaving the Commonwealth, but WA’s Premier — a staunch Republican — says such a constitutional change won’t be happening. Roger Cook’s admission Sunday came after the Australian Republic Movement made public a letter from King Charles — who is coming to Australia next week. The monarch’s staff confirmed he, like Queen Elizabeth II before him, would leave the decision up to the Australian people and government. “His majesty, as a constitutional Monarch, acts on the advice of his Ministers, and whether Australia becomes a republic is, therefore, a matter for the Australian public to decide,” the King’s assistant private secretary Dr Nathan Ross wrote in March. ARM co-chair Esther Anatolitis seized on the monarch’s words and said they demonstrated Australia could maintain close ties with the UK, even with its own head-of-state. But Mr Cook said now was not the time to reopen that debate. “I’d love Australia to become a republic, but I don’t think it’s time for that debate,” he said from a fire station in Perth’s south east. “I don’t think Australia is capable of passing any changes to the Constitution by a referendum.” The Premier’s words come about a year after Australia overwhelmingly voted No to enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the constitution. The result, in which the ACT was the only jurisdiction to support the change, appeared to confirm the long-running consensus that referendums struggle to succeed and are doomed without bipartisan support. Australia voted by a nearly 10-point margin against becoming a republic in 1999. Mr Cook said his Government was focused on kitchen table issues, rather than constitutional affairs. “I think people should get on with issues which are more important to people’s lives — cost of living, making sure we get more homes built for people, and of course, making sure that we’ve got great hospitals to look after those who are sick or have an accident,” the Premier said. Federal Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell told The West on Saturday that the Albanese Government had no plans to put the matter to a referendum, even in a potential second term. King Charles — who is pausing his cancer treatment for the visit — and Queen Camilla will make their first public appearance on their Australian trip when they lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Monday, October 21. The royal pair will also visit NSW but are not coming to Perth.