Monarchists Don't Want An Australian To Be Governor-General
The Prime Minister should immediately guarantee the next Governor-General will be a citizen of Australia and should also rule out a 'captain's call' on the next Governor-General.
Monarchist boss David Flint – who advised former PM Tony Abbott to revive knighthoods, leading to the ‘Sir Prince Phillip’ fiasco – now says Australia’s next Governor-General should be an English royal, The Duke of Sussex - not an Australian citizen.
“There’s no reason why such a person couldn’t be appointed,” Mr Flint said on Sydney radio early today. ((audio at https://www.2gb.com/podcast/professor-david-flint-68/)
This is completely out of step with Australian public opinion. Australia has not had an English Governor-General for more than fifty years. Australia’s first Australian Governor-General was appointed eighty years ago.
Yet at the moment, it is legally possible: Australia’s constitution doesn’t require that the Governor-General be an Australian citizen.
Monarchists have spent twenty-five years trying to mislead Australians into thinking that Australia's head of state is the Governor-General, an Australian – despite the plain wording of the Constitution and numerous High Court judgments unequivocally confirming it remains the British Monarchy. Now the game is up: monarchists’ true colours are on display.
Mr Flint’s call follows federal Liberal MP Julian Leeser. Last month Mr Leeser told a Lowy Institute debate:
“Would I support Prince William or Prince Harry becoming governor general? I think we should leave that possibility open.”
Australians currently rely entirely on the Prime Minister’s judgement in the appointment of Governors-General.
When Governor-General Cosgrove retires in March next year, Mr Morrison will simply advise the Queen who he wants to take the role. It could be Julie Bishop, it could be a British royal, it could be anyone.
In June, ARM National Chair Peter FitzSimons wrote to then-Prime Minister Turnbull proposing that he give Australians a say over the next Governor-General through a vote of the Parliament or of the people.
We renew that call today.