Australian PM defends ban on Parliament due to royals death
Australias prime minister on Monday defended an obscure and longstanding protocol that bars the nations parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarchs death.
Lawmakers will reconvene on Sept 23 to debate a condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth II, the earliest date that the protocol allows, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. While presenting himself as a traditionalist, Albanese wants an Australian president to replace the British monarch as the nations head of state. But he has brushed off questions about creating an Australian republic since the queens death.
Most advocates for and against a republic are avoiding saying anything that might be seen as seeking advantage from the death of a widely respected monarch.
Britain apparently doesnt have a comparable protocol and King Charles III, monarch of both Britain and Australia, will address the British Parliament this week.
Because the last British monarch died in 1952, few knew of the Australian protocol. Only two kings had died between then and when Parliament first sat in 1901. Asked who was behind the protocol, Albanese replied it had been in place for a long period of time.
There is something to be said for a prime minister who follows tradition, who follows protocols and who follows order, Albanese told reporters. That is something that I have done to define my prime ministership respect for those traditions.” Parliamentary debate in Australia often degenerates into heated and unedifying personal abuse, particularly during Question Time, when lawmakers interrogate ministers about issues of the day.
The idea that we could be debating Question Time as usual, that we could be having the engagement as if it was business as usual is, I believe, not correct, Albanese said.
While the opposition has accepted the new parliamentary schedule, senior opposition Sen. Simon Birmingham expected the protocol would be reviewed.
The custom and tradition here is appropriate for us to follow on this occasion. No doubt people will look carefully at these traditions in the future and assess how they carry forward, Birmingham told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Anne Twomey, a Sydney University constitutional lawyer, said the protocol was not binding on the government.
Its like curtsying to the queen. Theres no law that requires it. Its just a matter of whether or not you choose to do it, Twomey said.
Albanese and the monarchs representative in Australia, Governor-General David Hurley, will represent the nation at the queens funeral next week.
Australia was working with his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern to help leaders of another nine British Commonwealth island nations in the Oceania region attend the funeral, Albanese said.
He has not said whether any leader has accepted Australias offer of help.
We want to ensure that no nation in our region, in the Pacific, as part of the Pacific family, is unable to attend the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth because of logistical concerns, Albanese said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
