The Foreign Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, has told the BBC in London that while The Queen is always very welcome in Australia, the government is committed to making Australia a republic.
"We've not stipulated a timeline for doing that. We are sensitive to the other priorities we've got as a nation and in the world, but in time the country will head in that direction,” he added.
Mr. Rudd’s explanation of the government’s decision to put off any action on a republic during this reign is somewhat disingenuous.
It is not about stipulating a timeline. The reason is that the Prime Minister knows – as does Mr Turnbull – that polling trends have indicated for years that not only is a referendum on any republican model doomed to an even greater loss than in 1999.
So is a plebiscite, no matter how well it has crafted by the highest paid spin doctors the politicians can find. In other words the Australian people are not interested in a politicians’ republic.