Indigenous Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has condemned an emerging push for a republic only days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Albanese Government has steadfastly refused to engage in the debate in recent days despite growing calls for Australia to begin distancing itself from the monarchy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “inappropriate” to discuss a referendum on the issue while mourning Her Majesty, but some have capitalised on the death to further push for an Australian head of state.
Senator Price was asked by Sky News Australia’s Peta Credlin about how she had reacted to calls for a republic which used indigenous Australians as an argument to dump the King as Australia’s head of state.
The Country Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory said there were sections of the left in Australia which had always “used indigenous Australians to push their agenda”.
She added that traditional First Nations’ culture would “respect people during the mourning period” and warned that the rapid response to Queen Elizabeth II’s death could damage the campaign for a republic.
“Clearly they might use indigenous Australians to push their own agendas but they certainly don’t observe Aboriginal culture along the line of particularly that mourning period,” Senator Price told Sky News Australia on Wednesday.
“It’s quite shameful this behaviour that’s going on right now coming from the ABC, coming from the left trying to push this on Australians.
“They thought it was going to gather momentum, I think it might do the opposite and actually damage their campaign.”
Despite the Prime Minister – who is a declared republican – dismissing recent pushes, some Parliamentarians and the Australian Republican Movement have already made decisive moves towards a referendum.
Only hours after the news broke, Greens leader Adam Bandt took to Twitter to suggest the monarch’s death was the right time for Australia to “move forward”.
“Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with her family and all who loved her. Now Australia must move forward,” he said.
“We need Treaty with First Nations people, and we need to become a Republic.”
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi refused to pay respects to the longest serving British monarch in history and again declared the death was a reminder of the “urgency of Treaty with First Nations, justice and reparations for British colonies and becoming a republic”.
“I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples,” Senator Faruqi said on Twitter.
A recent Roy Morgan study published on Tuesday found a resounding majority of Australians – 60 per cent – believed Australia should remain a constitutional monarchy rather than become a republic.
The result represents a five per cent increase from when the question was last asked in November 2012.
The poll was conducted in the days following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
In contrast to the Greens members, the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has suspended its campaign until after the Queen’s funeral on Monday, but has indicated it will immediately begin a renewed push.
The chief campaigning force for an Australian head of state has targeted the $5 note, with The Australian reporting that the ARM will call for King Charles III not to replace his mother on the back of the banknote.
It will also push to scrap royal representation on all official Australian currency.
While the Australian government confirmed King Charles III’s effigy will be emblazoned on coins from next year, Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh said it would not “automatically” appear on the $5 note.
He argued that the decision to have Queen featured on the note was about her “personally” rather than status as monarch and therefore the transition to King Charles was not ivitable.
“We’ll have a sensible conversation within government and make an appropriate announcement in due course,” Mr Leigh said at the Royal Australian Mint on Tuesday.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMi2wFodHRwczovL3d3dy5za3luZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hdXN0cmFsaWEtbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy9udC1zZW5hdG9yLWphY2ludGEtbmFtcGlqaW5wYS1wcmljZS1jYWxscy1yYXBpZC1wdXNoLWZvci1hbi1hdXN0cmFsaWEtcmVwdWJsaWMtaW4tZGF5cy1hZnRlci1xdWVlbnMtZGVhdGgtc2hhbWVmdWwtYmVoYXZpb3VyL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvMWFmMjNmMmZlNjQ1MmYwZWM3NmNhMzdhOWYyODY2YjTSAQA?oc=5
2022-09-15 02:12:31Z
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