The Australian government will no longer hold a referendum to replace King Charles as head of state.
In a statement, the government said could not afford to lose another constitutional reform vote. On Monday, Australian minister Matt Thistlewaite said the government has abandoned plans for the vote which was rumoured to be happening next year.
The Times reported that Mr Thistlewaite said he would not say when there would be a fresh timetable on a vote to replace the King. He said: “I’m not going to put a timetable on it.
“At the moment, our priority is cost of living, and that’s the appropriate thing for the government to be concentrating on.”
The decision to cancel the referendum on King Charles weeks after the failed Voice to Parliament vote that saw Australians to vote “no” on a referendum that would have changed Australia’s constitution.
This change would have seen the creation of an advocacy committee which would advise Parliament on policies which affected indigenous people.
According to reports, it was this rejection that influenced the decision to cancel the royal referendum.
In an interview with local media, Mr Thistlethwaite said: “The current method of selecting our head of state is undemocratic, it doesn’t represent modern Australian values, and that’s something we want to begin a discussion with Australians on in the longer term.”
Mr Thistlethwaite added that the government’s main focus was the “cost of living relief for Australians”.
In response to the announcement, the Australian Green’s Adam Bandt said the people had let people down. He explained: “For an outfit supposedly run by conviction politicians, it’s getting harder by the day to work out what Labor actually believes in.”
A recent YouGov poll found that just 35 percent of Australians wanted Australia to remain a constitutional monarchy while 32 percent wanted it to become a republic.
The news comes ahead of a trip by King Charles and Queen Camilla later this year in October.
A spokesperson for the government told The Australian: “The prime minister enjoys a warm relationship with the King, and looks forward to welcoming His Majesty to Australia later this year.”
The trip will be the first time a ruling monarch has visited Australia since the late Queen Elizabeth II visited in October 2011.
Australian culture historian Dr Cindy McCreery believes the royal visit could help reudce pro-republic sentiments in the country. She said: “It does hope to promote the relationship.”
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