Australian Referendum in 2010?

From Saturday's Daily Telegraph: Australian republic without Queen? (Memo to the editor: if it's an Australian republic, then it's without the Queen.)

If Kevin Rudd becomes Australia's next prime minister – and that is what the opinion polls suggest – then the new Labour government will push very hard for a republic. There is a strong possibility that, following a proposed referendum in 2010, Australia will no longer have a Queen. And that would be a terrible shame. We realise that it is not our business to tell Australians who should be their head of state: unsolicited advice from Poms is rarely welcome. But there is a very good reason for keeping our ties to Australia, quite apart from the exemplary way in which the Queen discharges her constitutional duties. It is that – contrary to expectations – our two countries have recently grown closer together, not further apart.

Richard Alston, the Australian High Commissioner, summed up the situation expertly in a speech in Melbourne on Thursday: "As we have progressed along the path from near subservience to brash upstart to key global players, so our relationship with Britain has evolved, matured and deepened. We have grown closer in terms of trade, intelligence sharing, cultural exchange, migration flows and political respect." Mr Alston rightly stressed the importance of the diplomatic alliance after the September 11 attacks. That alliance might be equally strong under a republic; then again, it might not, since the liberal political class that would dominate a republic wants to distance itself from the Anglo-American axis.

Less controversial is the claim that migration has strengthened our relationship. There are so many young Australians in London that "Strine" has become a local accent. And that suits us fine, because these visitors are part of our family – our tanned and thirsty cousins from the other side of the world. It seems thoroughly appropriate that we should share a head of state. If Australia decides to go it alone, that will be our loss.

Be sure to read some of the excellent comments at the end. Hat tip to Professor Flint at Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. It would appear that Aussies are being kept in the dark on this. Nice for Rudd to inform England, but not Oz.