Australia Day 2021 comes with lowest republican sympathies since 1979

 

Support for Australia adopting a republican form of state has slipped, according to a poll published for Australia Day in The Age, which reveals only a third of Australians are in favour, 40 per cent were opposed to a republic. 

The polls show support for a republic has steadily ebbed since a peak in December 1999 – when 57 per cent of Australians were in favour – immediately after the failed 1999 republic referendum. The latest Ipsos poll found support for Australia becoming a republic was lowest among those in the 18-24 year old group, with only 26 per cent in favour compared to 34 per cent in all other age groups. 

Greens and Labor voters were more likely to support a republic (46 per cent and 41 per cent respectively) compared to 27 per cent of Coalition voters. 

Ipsos director Jessica Elgood said 34 per cent support for republic was the lowest recorded by Ipsos and Nielsen polls since 1979. She said former US president Donald Trump had not made a presidential system a particularly appealing prospect for most of Australia. 

Australian Republic Movement (ARM) chairman Peter FitzSimons did not accept the result of the opinion poll: "... We have been getting phenomenally strong support.” He claimed ARM's membership had increased by 19 per cent in the past six months. On Australia Day 2016 Mr. FitzSimons said former PM Tony Abbott's re-introduction of Knights and Dames in the year before had given the ARM momentum. He claimed then, ARM's membership had quadrupled since Mr. Abbott's "captain's pick", although total numbers were still just under 5,000. Will the new 19 per cent increase bring the figure up to the 2016 level?

The Australian Monarchist League anticipates support for the monarchy to increase dramatically over the next year with the Queen’s 95th birthday occurring on the 21st of April 2021 and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday on June the 10th this year and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrating 70 years on the throne occurring on the 6th of February 2022.

Happy 60th Birthday, Tony Abbott

The Hon. Tony (Anthony John) Abbott was born on 4th November 1957 and was the 28th Prime Minister of Australia, from 18th September 2013 to 15th September 2015. Abbott was leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2009 to 2015, and has been a member of parliament for Warringah since 1994.

Between 1993 and 1994, Tony Abbott served as Executive Director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM) and fought bravely in 1999, when in a referendum the Australian people rejected a republic.

Australians for Constitutional Monarchy held its National Conference in Melbourne in October 2017 and Tony Abbott gave the keynote speech:

Time to get rid of Malcolm Turnbull

When 54 Liberal MPs and senators abandoned Prime Minister Tony Abbott on 14th September 2015 (44 remained loyal to the elected PM) the winning Malcolm Turnbull had claimed that "the [Abbott] government is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we need. ... We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott's leadership."

Today he faced the same situation: The polls as published in The Age are against him. "Labor and the Coalition are fifty-fifty in the latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll, as Malcolm Turnbull's once-soaring approval rating continues to decline. Voters have reacted savagely to the reality of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister when measured against their own expectations, sending a clear warning to the Coalition that the election will be close and victory cannot be assumed. A massive 25 per cent drop in his ability to make things happen headlines the decline. This seems to sum up the sense of disappointment in voterland at the slow pace and performance of the Turnbull government and a disturbing tendency to set out ambitious policy goals and then retreat from them.

"The Prime Minister's net approval rating has dropped by 10 points since March and his preferred prime minister rating has also fallen by seven points over that time.

"Mr Turnbull's disapproval rating has jumped up six points as voters marked him down severely on a range of 11 leadership characteristics including a staggering 25 per cent drop in his ability to make things happen, a 20 per cent drop in his perceived strength as a leader, a 17 per cent drop on his authority over his party, and a 13 per cent drop in his perceived competence."

The wake-up of the voters as well as of Malcolm Turnbull should not come as a surprise. It is a déjà-vu of his tenure as Leader of Her Majesty's [Loyal?] Opposition, which was ended by Tony Abbott and it deserved this comment, written on 2nd December 2009:

The past fifteen months have shown, how a darling of the media, a republican messiah even, fell from grace and is now seen - even by his republican mates - as a disaster!

Nothing has changed. Turnbull started as the darling of the media and the public, but everybody soon realised what a dud he really is. Time for the Coalition to dump him and send him to the Cayman Islands, where his money is parked.

Put the Queen back on Australian banknotes

At the moment Her Majesty's head is on a $5 banknote ...

Whilst Her Majesty is still on the old banknotes, Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Australia, has been replaced on the new five dollar tactile notes with the images of Catherine Helen Spence (1825-1910) writer and of course feminist and an unbearded Henry Parkes (1815-1896) , politician and architect of Australian Federation.

... but soon she will be replaced by a feminist and a politician.

It seems that the federal government is not only not celebrating the time when the Queen becomes our longest reigning sovereign, but has actually overseen the removal of Her Majesty from our new banknotes!

Join the Australian Monarchist League campaign to have the Queen’s image put onto the new (tactile) note. In fact, as head of state Her Majesty’s image should be on all Australian banknotes.

Please write to the Prime Minister saying how disgusted you are that he has allowed this to be done. Details are:

Hon. Tony Abbott MP
Parliament Office –
PO Box 6022, House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone: (02) 6277 7700 Fax: (02) 6273 4100

Electorate Office - Level 2, 17 Sydney Road, Manly, NSW, 2095
Postal address - PO Box 450, Manly, NSW, 2095
Telephone: (02) 9977 6411 Fax: (02) 9977 8715

Australian gifts for the new Princess

Prime Minister Tony Abbott congratulated the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge:
"The birth of a baby is a great moment for any family and Australia shares this young family's joy," Mr Abbott said in a statement on Saturday night. "We wish the young Princess a long and happy life. I am sure that the Princess and her older brother, Prince George, will in time develop a deep familiarity and love of Australia, feelings the rest of their family already share."

The Queen of Australia's Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove said they were "thrilled" by the news: "We hope Their Royal Highnesses enjoy this special time as well as the life of fond memories they will build together as a family. We look forward to seeing the whole Cambridge family in Australia sometime in the future."

On behalf of the government and the people of Australia a gift is dispatched to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to mark the birth of the new princess.

A cot blanket made from Tasmanian merino wool has been sourced from Launceston's renowned Waverly Woollen mills. The blanket will be embroidered with the Australian floral emblem , the wattle, by members of the ACT Embroiderer' Guild.

In honour of the birth of the Princess, the Government will also contribute $10,000 to the Healesville Sanctuary, part of Zoos Victoria, to support the important work it is doing for the Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus). Healesville Sanctuary has established specially designed cool-room facilities to support the research and the captivity breeding of the species. The Mountain Pygmy-possum is Australia's only hibernating marsupial. There are less than 2,000 left in the wild.

Less than 2,000 Mountain Pygmy-possums live in the wild. The new princess will be invited to see the Mountain Pygmy-possum herself.

Tony Abbott: "I hope one day the princess can visit Australia and hold a Mountain Pygmy-possum herself"

Australia's government under former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave Taronga Zoo's bilby preservation programme a $10,000 donation as a national gift to commemorate Prince George's birth on 22nd July 2013.

On last year’s trip to Australia Prince George met a marsupial named after him. At Taronga Zoo in Sydney, he was introduced to the bilby called George.

The bilby was in the newly-named Prince George Bilby Exhibit, officially opened by the Duke and Duchess on 20th April 2014, with a low glass screen that Prince George could peer over as he stood up, supported by his mother. The room was darkened because the animals are nocturnal.

Prince George met George the bilby in April 2014.

George, a three-and-a-half-year-old bilby, was named George two months ago to celebrate the Prince's birth.

Greater bilbies, nocturnal marsupials who hide in burrows during the day, are rabbit-like creatures with large ears that pick up sounds of insects and have long noses to sniffs out seeds and bulbs.

They were once common in Australia's grassy woodlands but have been driven to the verge of extinction by predators such as foxes and cats and competition from rabbits, all introduced to the country by European settlers.

With only 10,000 left in the wild in northern Queensland and Western Australia, a conservation campaign begun in the late 1960s has gathered pace in the last decade with chocolate Easter bilbies replacing chocolate bunnies in many Australian children's homes.

The Queen invests Prince Philip with the Insignia of a Knight of the Order of Australia

  

H.M. The Queen of Australia, H.R.H Prince Philip and H.E. Alexander Downer, High Commissioner of Australia in the UK

Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen of Australia, officially invested Prince Philip with the Insignia of a Knight of the Order of Australia on 22nd April at Windsor Castle. The short investiture took place in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

It was announced on Australia Day 2015 by Prime Minister Tony Abbott that The Queen had accepted his recommendation on two new investitures of Knights of the Order of Australia, they were Prince Philip and Sir Angus Houston.

Also present at Wednesday’s investiture was Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Alexander Downer, formerly Australian Foreign Minister and High Commissioner to the UK since June 2014.

Although The Queen was presenting her husband with the Insignia, the investiture was still a formal affair, taking place as a royal audience similar to the format where Her Majesty meets with the Prime Minister every week. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has said that details of the conversation between The Queen, Prince Philip and Mr Downer will not be released to public, just like any other conversations that take place at a normal investiture.

Prince Philip has been honoured for his significant contribution to Australia throughout Her Majesty The Queen’s 63 year reign and at the time of announcement, Tony Abbott also said that Prince Philip’s “long life of service and dedication should be honoured by Australia.”

Insignia of a Knight of the Order of Australia

The Order of Australia was instituted by The Queen in 1975 as “an Australian society of honour for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorious service.” In 1983 Prime Minister Bob Hawke advised the abolition of the Knight/Dame grade of the order though in 2014, this grade was reinstated after Tony Abbott advised The Queen to reinstate this grade. Since it has been reinstated, The Queen has personally received the two dames and one knight who have been honoured.

Hounding Tony Abbott

On his Twitter account Prof. David Flint wrote

The right wing commentariat's unwise over-reaction to Prince Philip's AK helped trigger the spill motion 

and added this cover photo

Meanwhile Prime Minister Tony Abbott is in New Zealand, where he addressed the Australia-New Zealand leadership forum in Auckland:

"It is great to be here, it is a sign of the strength of the Trans-Tasman relationship that so many people at the summit of business and indeed of government are here today. I’m delighted to acknowledge my friend and colleague the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, has spent much time here today and also with many of you over the last few days. We have Parliamentary Secretary Fletcher here as well and I should also acknowledge a former constituent of mine who left Australia to make good in New Zealand, a fellow called John Key. You have done quite well since you left my electorate, John.

"When you consider the relationship between Australia and New Zealand there are no two juridically separate entities anywhere in the world that are as close as our two countries. Yes, we are legally independent but we don’t feel like separate entities, we feel like family, not just distant cousins, we feel like close siblings. The problem with sibling relationships is that they can sometimes be taken for granted and the challenge for all of us is not to take the Australia-New Zealand relationship for granted just because Australians can get on a plane and come to New Zealand and Kiwis can get on a plane and come to Australia. That’s the challenge.

"I’ve got to say, John, that certainly since the advent of your government there has been a very great interest in New Zealand on the part of Australians. I think it would be fair to say that for the first time in many years – in recent years – the economic performance of New Zealand has been making Australians sit up and take notice. Any sense of superiority that might have been felt on one side of the Tasman certainly has been dispelled by the economic performance and indeed the governmental performance of New Zealand in recent times. I’m very conscious of the fact that over the last few years you have gradually taken the size of government from 35 per cent to 30 per cent of gross domestic product. A magnificent, practical demonstration in how to be a prime minister who doesn’t just believe in smaller government but delivers it and there are some lessons here for us in Australia.

"I’m conscious of the fact that while my Government has made a good start there is a way to go. I don’t want to underestimate just what good a start we have made. We’re releasing an intergenerational report in a week or so’s time and while the intergenerational report that we are releasing will reveal the ongoing budgetary challenge that Australia has, it will also demonstrate the progress that has been made in just 18 months.

"It’s not often that an Australian prime minister needs to stand before a New Zealand audience and trumpet Australia’s economic achievements, but you would allow me for a moment to do so and economic growth in Australia today is 2.7 per cent – not quite as good as yours, John but certainly a lot better than it was a year ago when it was just 1.9 per cent. Over the last 12 months, our export volumes are up seven per cent, our housing approvals are up nine per cent, consumer confidence is up, business formation is up, the number of new business registrations are at an all-time record high in Australia. All of this, in the end, feeds into economic growth which is the key to everyone’s success. ..."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key friendlier with each other than some of their parties colleagues with them.

King and Queen of Norway welcomed by Australia's Prime Minister

Visit by Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway

King Harald V of Norway and Prime Minister Tony Abbott

"I am pleased that Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will visit Australia from 22 to 27 February 2015 at the invitation of the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd).

"Their Majesties will visit Canberra, Sydney and Perth, accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior government and business leaders.

"Australia and Norway share a warm relationship. Trade between our nations last year was worth over $1.2 billion.

"We both have strong oil, gas and mining sectors. Significant Norwegian companies have invested in Australia’s energy, metals and agriculture sectors.

"More than 23,000 Australians have Norwegian ancestry.

"I look forward to meeting Their Majesties during their visit to Australia and welcome the growing strength of the ties between our nations.

The King and Queen of Norway were welcomed to Australia at the Hyatt Hotel on Sunday night in the company of an acclaimed Norwegian choir, a war hero, and children in traditional dress.

King Harald V, who turned 78 on Saturday, was joined by Queen Sonja as the Norwegian vocals of the touring Kori I choir echoed through the atrium of the Yarralumla hotel.

Norwegian flags were raised on Commonwealth Avenue on Sunday afternoon to mark the arrival of the king and queen on their first official trip to Australia.

Their Majesties met Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek, the Leader and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Tony Abbott: "Standing up for Australian values is something I have done all my life"

The republicans of all colours - but especially those from within his own Liberal Party - are out to get the Prime Minister. They portray Tony Abbott as their perfect scapegoat.

Prime Minister Abbott tried today to re-gain ground and spoke at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra.

He stressed:

2014 was a tumultuous year that’s reminded us to expect the unexpected.

Thirty eight Australians were shot out of the sky by Russian-backed rebels.

A death cult, claiming justification in Islam, is creating a new dark age over much of Syria and Iraq.

And the terrorism it inspires has hit Melbourne and Sydney.

It was an anxious year for our well-being, as well as for our security. ...

In troubled times, people expect more of government, not less – and we have to deliver.

That’s why a government with the plan and the will to strengthen our economy and to protect our nation is so important.

This government is more determined than ever to make the changes our country needs.

This government will deliver Australia’s economic future because only a Coalition government can.

As Liberals and Nationals, sound economic management is in our DNA.

We’ve done it before and we are doing it again.

More than ever, in troubled times, government has to protect our people and stand up for Australian values.

This government would hardly have taken the political risks it has without the conviction that some change is absolutely unavoidable if our country is to flourish.

To create more jobs and more opportunities for families, we simply have to build a stronger economy.

A stronger economy is the foundation of a stronger Australia.

And if the economy is stronger, everyone’s life is better.

A stronger economy helps everyone who’s doing it tough:

parents wrestling with school fees and health costs;
small business people anxious to keep their staff;
seniors whose superannuation has to fund their retirement;
volunteers wondering if they can still afford to serve the community; and
young people looking for their first job and their first home.

Building a stronger economy is the fairest thing we can do because it means more jobs, higher wages, and more government revenue to pay for the services we need.

During 2015, our priority will be creating more jobs; easing the pressure on families; building roads; strengthening national security; and promoting more opportunity for all – with a new families policy and a new small business and jobs policy.

But we need to be candid about the challenges we face.

The drift of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years cannot continue.

Standing still on reform means going backwards on living standards.

Just a few years back, under the Howard government, we were quite literally the envy of the world.

In 2007, we had a strong and sustainable budget with a $20 billion surplus and $50 billion in the bank.

After six years of Labor, the deficit had blown out to $50 billion and gross debt was skyrocketing towards $667 billion.

Under Labor, government was spending too much; borrowing too much; and paying out too much dead money in interest alone.

We can’t wait for a crisis – like Europe – to address this problem because the solutions then will be much worse than the solutions today.

Our problem is not that taxes are too low; our problem is that government spending is too high.

We are writing cheques that our children and grandchildren will have to meet through higher taxes, higher interest rates and poorer services.

Right now, we’re borrowing $1 billion a month just to pay the interest on debt that the former Labor government ran up.

That’s right – one thousand million every month to pay Labor’s interest bill – that’s a brand new tertiary hospital that could be built every single month if Labor’s interest bill did not have to be paid.

And without structural change, within a decade, we’d be borrowing $3 billion a month just to pay the interest on Commonwealth debt.

So – let’s spend the money we have to on the things we really need; and let’s borrow where we must, to invest judiciously in a stronger Australia for the future – but let’s stop borrowing just to meet the ordinary expenses of government.

Reducing the deficit means that interest rates will stay lower.

Reducing the deficit means that taxes can be cut.

Reducing the deficit means more confidence in the economy.

And reducing the deficit is the fair thing to do – because it ends the intergenerational theft against our children and grandchildren.

We’ve never been a country that’s ripped off future generations to pay for today.

And under my government, we never will.

On election night, I declared that Australia was under new management and once more open for business.

Since then, new projects worth over $1 trillion have received environmental approval.

The carbon tax is gone – so every household, on average, is $550 a year better off.

The mining tax is gone – so Australia once more is seen as a good place to invest.

Big new road projects are now getting underway to overcome commuter gridlock – and the new Western Sydney Airport is finally to be built after 50 years of indecision. ...

Today, despite headwinds overseas, the economy is stronger, the budget is improving and the jobs market has strengthened.

Jobs growth in 2014 was triple the rate in 2013 – with 4,000 new jobs a week.

New housing approvals are at record levels.

The registration of new companies is the highest on record.

Economic growth is now 2.7 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent a year ago.

Petrol prices are nearing 15 year lows, home loan interest rates are low and stable, and the September quarter had the biggest fall in power prices on record.

But I’m not here to defend the past – I’m here to explain the future.

People are sick of Australian citizens – including people born and bred here – making excuses for Islamist fanatics in the Middle East and their imitators here in Australia.

It’s not good enough just to boost the police and security agencies, which we’ve done – by restoring the millions ripped out by Labor – and to improve data retention, which we’re doing.

We have to tackle the people and the organisations that justify terrorism and act as its recruiting agents – such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

We have already made it an offence to advocate terrorism and made it easier to ban terrorist organisations.

If cracking down on Hizb-ut-Tahrir and others who nurture extremism in our suburbs means further legislation, we will bring it on and I will demand that the Labor Party call it for Australia.

The police and the security agencies have told me that they need access to telecommunications data to deal with a range of crime, from child abuse to terrorism, and – as far as I am concerned – they should always have the laws, money and support they need to keep Australia safe.

And with the world still feeling the global financial crisis, people are anxious about our economic sovereignty.

I am a friend of foreign investment but it has to come on our terms and for our benefit.

The government will shortly put in place better scrutiny and reporting of foreign purchases of agricultural land and better enforcement of the rules against foreign purchases of existing homes so that young people are not priced out of the market.

These laws were not legally enforced by the former Labor government – not once.

This year, the government’s budget focus will be on strengthening the economy.

Because we have done much of the hard work already, we won’t need to protect the Commonwealth budget at the expense of the household budget.

As the intergenerational report will show, more is needed to put the budget on a credible path to a sustainable surplus – but as New Zealand has demonstrated, a good way to achieve this is not to make any unnecessary new spending commitments.

We will always be looking for ways to make government more efficient and to crack down on waste.

Governments should never spend more than they must because every dollar government spends is a dollar you don’t spend, now or in the future.

So any new spending will strictly be directed to making the economy stronger so that long-term revenue increases. ...

I hope that 2015 will see a more honest national conversation between all of us with Australia’s best interests at heart.

I want this year’s white paper process – on reforming the federation and on tax – to demonstrate Australians’ potential for change for the better rather than just politics as usual.

Finding ways to make every level of government more efficient, more effective and more accountable is in every Australian’s best interest and shouldn’t be an excuse for cheap shots.

Everyone who wants members of parliament to lift their game has an interest in governments taking more responsibility for the services they provide, instead of passing the buck.

We will also be inviting constructive debate across the political spectrum on all options for a better tax system to deliver taxes that are lower, simpler and fairer.

Unlike previous debates, we won’t pre-empt the outcome by ruling things in or out before the process has properly begun.

I do assure you, though, that this government wants to be remembered for cutting the overall tax burden, not for increasing it – for abolishing existing taxes, rather than imposing new ones.

As for the GST – it can’t and it won’t change unless all the states and territories agree.

It can’t and won’t change unless there is political consensus.

That means – leaving aside any minor administrative changes – that the base and the rate of the GST won’t change this term or next unless it’s supported by the likes of Bill Shorten and the Labor premiers.

Both white paper processes will be open and constructive: stakeholders will be consulted, submissions will be published; any hearings will be open, and the states will have senior representatives on steering committees.

Everyone who wants a say will have one – and the people will have the last word at the ballot box.

Sooner or later, all responsible members of Parliament have to put the long term national interest ahead of their short term political interest and there’s no better time to start than now.

So far, this government – and only this government – has had the courage to tackle the deficit, to protect our borders, and to build a stronger and more prosperous economy.

As I said so many times before the election, we will end the waste, stop the boats, scrap the unnecessary new taxes and build the roads of the 21st century. ...

You elected us to make the decisions needed so that everyone who works hard gets ahead, aspiration is rewarded, and our children can look forward to more opportunities than we had.

You elected us to keep you safe and, with every fibre of my being, I am focussed on our national security challenges here and overseas.

Standing up for Australian values is something I have done all my life.

Leadership is about making the right decisions for our country’s future.

It isn’t a popularity contest.

It’s about results; it’s about determination; and it’s about you.

Australia deserves the stable government that you elected us to be just 16 months ago.

You deserve budget repair, no return of the carbon tax, no restart of people smuggling, and no in-fighting.

We promised that we would do our best to keep you safe.

We promised you hope, reward and opportunity.


That’s what the Abbott government is working to deliver for you.

Get the priorities right

Question on Twitter:
Why was it right making #PrincePhilipAK an Australian knight? Because he couldn't care less about a storm in a teacup.

That can't be said about many voices in Australia, eagerly reproduced in Australia. They love to bash Prince Philip and first and foremost the one who asked Her Majesty to grant a knighthood to The Duke: Prime Minister Tony Abbott. They are out to get his head.

All because of a minor event.

No matter what goes on in the world, the Australian media heat up the fire of the anti-Tony campaign.

Is the Grexit looming in Greece? With consequences for the financial world - and every one of us? May be, but what's that against a juicy knighthood story?

Continuing violence in the Middle East, thousands killed every day. And ISIL killed another Japanese hostage/ Oh please, let us get rid of our PM because of bestowing an honour.

War in Eastern Ukraine? The Australian public isn't concerned about that because they are preoccupied with Tony Abbott and Australia's honour system. 

There's something wrong with the priorities in Australia.

Happy Queen's Birthday 2014

The extraordinary event on this Queen's Birthday is the fact that The Age hasn't printed any nastiness. Usually they re-modelled one of the old rants against the Australian Monarchy and complain about the antiquated views of the local Monarchists (never about the antiquated point of views of the republicans who haven't changed a bit since they lost the referendum in 1999).

It is possible that The Age's website contains anti-monarchist rants, but who would check that website? There are more useful and more reliable sources of information on the world wide web.

While in Sydney Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark were received by NSW Governor, Dame Marie Bashir.

On this year's Queen's Birthday honours list 700 Australians have been recognised for their merits. The most prominent and only one with a damehood is The Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, who has been appointed a Dame of the Order of Australia. She is the second woman to receive the title since knight and dames honours were reintroduced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in March 2014.  She will be retiring soon. As her successor the Queen appointed General Hurley as the 38th Governor of NSW.

The Queen appointed General Hurley as the 38th Governor of NSW.

Unfortunately another Queen's Birthday event passed nearly unnoticed: The Queen's Birthday Parade at The Royal Military College at Duntroon, which marks the Queen's Birthday with the Trooping the Colour ceremony. This Parade is a celebration of the official birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is one of the college’s most auspicious annual events in which observers get to witness the Trooping of the Queen’s Colour. The parade was ignored by the mainstream media in Victoria (print, electronic or otherwise).

The annual Queen's Birthday Parade was held at the Royal Military College Duntroon on 7th June 2014.

The Colours of a unit or regiment embody the history, spirit and traditions to which they belong. They are highly valued, carefully guarded and treated with great respect. The custom of carrying Colours has its origin in ancient and medieval times when, during battle, warring factions carried flags bearing family badges or armorial bearings to show the positions of commanders and to serve as rallying points. Since 1751, regiments have been allowed two Colours only, the Queen's (or King's) Colour and the Regimental Colour.

Colours were first presented to the Corps of Staff Cadets in May 1927 by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, later to be King George VI, when he visited Australia for the opening of Old Parliament House. These Colours were originally laid up in St John's Church, Canberra, but returned to the College in 1989 and are now lodged in Patterson Hall, the Headquarters of the Royal Military College of Australia.

Replacement Colours were presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 17th February 1954, 27th April 1970 and 10 May 1988. The 1954 Colours are laid up in St John's Church, the 1970 Colours in the RMC Chapel and the 1988 Colours in St Paul’s Chapel at RMC.

The Queen's Colour was trooped for the first time on the Queen's Birthday Parade in 1956 and has occurred every year since then. Her Majesty presented the current Colours on 22nd October 2011.

The Queen presents new Colours (Regimental Flags) to the Australian Royal Military College at Duntroon, Canberra, on 22nd October 2011.

Speeches at the Parliamentary Reception, Parliament House in Canberra

Prince William during his speech at the Parliamentary Reception.

Speech by HRH The Duke of Cambridge at Parliament House, Canberra, 24th April 2014

Prime Minister, Mr President, Madam Speaker, Chief Justice, Leader of the Opposition, Ministers and Members of Parliament, members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen - thank you for your truly warm welcome.

When Catherine and I arrived in Sydney last week, I said how much we had been looking forward to this visit. Drawing on my own experience, I told Catherine that it would be wonderful, and so it has been. Anticipation has become deep admiration.

There is so much to admire about Australia. Catherine and I acknowledge the timeless values of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They have been the custodians of this ancient and majestic continent for thousands of years. The Traditional Owners' stories, and the magnificent and moving rock art at Uluru, which we saw for ourselves, are a priceless inheritance. They tell us not just about the past but provide a precious vision for the future.

Catherine and I had the privilege earlier this week of visiting Sydney's Taronga Zoo, which is committed - through conservation - to just such custodianship. And I know, too, how important Australian support has been for the global consortium, United for Wildlife, which is fighting the scourge of the illegal trade in wildlife, and poaching, something very close to my heart.

Australia has a quality of life and a level of excellence that makes it a magnet: an enormously attractive place to live, trade, invest, and indeed just visit. The arts and sciences flourish; Australian sporting success is legendary; agriculture - from the traditional to the technologically most advanced - is hugely successful. This is a country that is in the front rank internationally.

We have both seen all this for ourselves. Australia may be known as "the Lucky Country", but often the harder you work, the luckier you get. Australians make their own luck. The distinct Aussie formula that has fashioned such a dynamic society is the source of admiration and envy around the world.

What Australia has achieved goes much wider than Australia itself. The last thirty years have seen the rise of the Asia-Pacific region. In a short time, it has become an economic power house with huge consequences for the whole world order. The Asia-Pacific region is now a key actor - sometimes the key actor - in confronting many of the global challenges of the twenty first century. It is enormously important - and reassuring - that Australia is at the heart not just of its own success but of the wider regional story, too. Australia is a champion of justice and economic and political freedoms. Australia plays an invaluable role in building an open and peaceful Asia-Pacific for the benefit of all.

Over the years, Australians have fought bravely for freedom in numerous conflicts. As those who were involved pass on, succeeding generations must remember and keep vivid the sacrifice they made.

Catherine and I look forward to paying tribute to them at tomorrow's ANZAC Day commemoration; and - with my brother Harry - to taking part in next year's Gallipoli centenary.

Reluctantly, Catherine, George and I leave Australia tomorrow. Thank you for the warmth and generosity that has been shown to us during our visit. We go away with wonderful memories, and George goes away with his cuddly wombat, which he has taken to chewing so lovingly. We greatly look forward to coming back. And when we do return, it will be to marvel again at all that Australia is, and will yet become.

Thank you.

Address by the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott to the Parliamentary Reception for Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

A couple of years back, Kelly Slater visited Manly in my electorate. There were over a thousand screaming fans – as you would expect when the world’s greatest surfer visited the world’s greatest beach. But as I have seen with my own eyes, Sir, Ma’am, in Manly you are bigger than Kelly Slater, perhaps by a factor of ten!

My friends, this is the 50th royal visit to Australia and it will be remembered as one of the very best.

With young children and with teenagers, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, with Indigenous people, with Australians in all our diversity who have flocked to royal events, your dedication to all your future realms, Sir, and your grace and warmth, Ma'am, have been abundantly on display.

Now, royal visits are a reminder that the best things in life are those that have stood the test of time.

Over centuries, the Crown has come to symbolise the ideals of duty and service at the heart of our culture.

People instinctively warm to those who represent the good to which we all aspire.

We saw that during your previous trip, Sir, in 2011, specifically to meet communities impacted by the Victorian bushfires and the Queensland floods.

As a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot, you know what it's like to endure ‘drought and flooding rains’. You know what it means to serve in the armed forces.

We have seen in you, Sir – during both your visits – through your words and through your deeds, the decency and the sense of duty of your father and the compassion of your mother.

Your great-great-grandfather, the future George V, opened our first Parliament in 1901.

Your great-grandfather as Duke of York opened our first Parliament House in 1927.

Your grandmother, the Queen, opened this building in 1988.

And your father, the Prince of Wales, has been here many, many times.

Many decades, hence, when a currently unknowable Australian Prime Minister welcomes your son, King George VII to this building, that will be a sign of the stability and the continuity in the life of our nation.

Your Royal Highnesses, you have taken such obvious pleasure in this visit and that warmth has been amply reciprocated by the Australian people amongst whom you will always be most welcome.

It is not necessary to live permanently in Australia well and truly to belong here.

This visit has meant a lot to millions of Australians.

Thank you for the joy you have given us.

The Duchess of Cambridge greets members of the public on their departure from a reception hosted by the Prime Minister at Parliament House in Canberra.

The official welcome

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC and Lady Lynne Cosgrove welcomed their royal guests TRH The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge at His Excellency's Sydney residence, Admirality House, which has a splendid view overlooking the harbour and the Sydney Opera  House.

Prince George was given a giant wombat by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC in Admiralty House.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott: "I welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George to Australia."


Prince William’s speech at the Sydney Opera House

Thank you for your warm welcome.

Your Excellency, Sir Nicholas, Mr President, thank you for inviting me and Catherine this afternoon. There cannot be a more impressive place than the iconic Sydney Opera House to begin our first visit together to Australia. I know that New South Wales is a very special place, and Catherine and I are looking forward to seeing that for ourselves over the coming days.

My last visit to Australia – in 2011 – was at a sad and testing time for the nation. A cyclone followed by flooding had devastated lives and property in Queensland, and bush fires had ravaged the State of Victoria. I am sorry to return to find that, yet again, fellow Australians in north Queensland are coping with the aftermath of another destructive cyclone.

Australia has much to contend with at the moment: your contribution to the ongoing search for MH370 has earned respect in every quarter of the globe. Australia’s determined and leading role in the search is at the very edge of technological ability and human endurance.

You have also responded with great generosity in the past few days to the natural disaster afflicting the Solomon Islands, which is suffering dreadfully from floods and successive earthquakes. Australia has led the international response in a way that is testament to the strength of your partnerships with your neighbours, and the important role that Australia plays both regionally and globally.

This visit to Australia has been one that Catherine and I have been looking forward to for a long time. On my first visit here as an adult in 2010, I remember just how bowled over I was by Sydney: seeing the energy and diversity of this beautiful city, and understanding just how much Australia is the home of innovation, opportunity and possibility.

I was well prepared: the affection that my grandmother The Queen has for this nation is infectious.

Her Majesty spoke recently of how, since her first visit here sixty years ago, she has been privileged to witness Australia’s growing economy and flowering self-confidence.

For Catherine, Harry and me, born in the early 80s, we’ve never known anything else – Australia and Australians have always been for us a beacon of confidence, creativity in the arts and sporting ability.

Harry felt very honoured to be invited to the centenary Fleet Review in Sydney harbour last year; and I know how much my father enjoyed his visit here in honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. My mother’s deep affection for Australia – which you were so kind to reciprocate – needs no reminder.

I don’t think I could finish these brief words to you without mentioning one other family member, George, who is now busy forging his own link with Australia. Catherine and I were very grateful for the many kind messages and gifts from across the country that we received when George was born. I suspect George’s first word might be ‘bilby’ – only because ‘koala’ is harder to say. We really look forward to our time here together as a family.

Australia is an inspiring place, as this amazing Opera House shows so vividly, and I know that a truly unforgettable few days lie ahead.

Thank you.

Dame Quentin Bryce is honourable

When Tony Abbott re-established Knights and Dames in the Order of Australia, outgoing Governor-General Quentin Bryce was the first to accept the new title. Dame Quentin Bryce, self-confessed advocate of "a" republic, received another honour due to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She had written to the Queen of Australia to correct the anomaly that government ministers and judges automatically received the title The Honourable for life, but governors-general did not. Her Majesty agreed to her Australian Prime Minister's suggestion and has now corrected it.

The retired Governor-General's will further on be addressed as The Honourable Dame Quentin - for life.

Will republicans refuse an Order of Australia because of its royal connection?

Martin Flanagan, Sports Writer for The Age, did not like Tony Abbott's enabling the creation of new Knights (AK) and Dames (AD) to the statutes of the Order of Australia. In a comment published today he calls it "a vain and empty honours system from another time and place".

But what's all the fuss about something that is so vain and empty? Why does Mr Flanagan get so upset about something he cares so little? "Respect does not come with titles – respect is earned", he writes. Right, but wasn't the Order of Australia created to show respect for achievements? Isn't the Order of Australia there to give credit to those who earn it?

If Mr Flanagan could answer 'yes' to these questions, what could be wrong in allowing men and women to add three or four letters in front of their first name as a "special recognition ... to Australians of 'extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit' in their service to Australia or to humanity at large" (Tony Abbott)?

It seems that Mr Flanagan and his fellow republicans are less intent to withhold honours from recipients, but they object any honours that are obviously connected with the crown. They certainly dislike the first sentence of Tony Abbott's announcement: "Her Majesty the Queen has amended the Letters Patent constituting the Order of Australia". They should refuse any medal of the Order of Australia since the Australian system of honours and awards was established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and The Queen is the Sovereign Head of the Order of Australia.

Isn't it time that all these Irish who loath the Australian Monarchy finally wake up to reality?

The British Monarchy has spoken in Irish

Republicans rejoice about new knighthoods

In their wishful thinking Australia's Republican Movement claim: PM's honours move revives republican numbers. And the Fairfax media take that for real and called it "[t]he bizarre outcome [that] was among the unintended consequences of Tuesday afternoon's surprise announcement ..."

The ARM's membership numbers must have been pretty low that such a simple move can revive their numbers. The same Fairfax article stated the hard fact:

"A ReachTEL poll of more than 2000 Australians, conducted for Fairfax Media in February, found only 39.4 per cent of the population supports a republic - the lowest level in 20 years. The poll found only 35.6 per cent of 18- to 35-year-olds support the republic."

And when it comes to "dead, buried and cremated" as Michael Shmith called the imperial honours system in today's Age, because an ALP-government abolished it in 1982, the term is also a reminder that the veteran republican Michael Shmith was revived from retirement to write on his favourite topic: abolishing the Constitutional Monarchy in Australia. He and his fellow republicans deliberately ignore the fact that the new knighthoods aren't imperial honours, but Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia.

 However, the final sentence of Mr. Shmith's disapproving article is true:

"But how interesting, how intriguing, it would have been if Dame Quentin, who has made her republican sentiments more than obvious, had simply said: 'Thanks, but no thanks.'"

But the out-going Governour-General's family has already found comfort at the idea of the Damehood, greeting the homecoming Mrs. Bryce with "Dame Dee Dee, we love you, welcome home". Her son-in-law William Shorten, the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, smiled at the scene, which The Age published without further republicanism that could spoil the picture.

Tony Abbott reintroduces knight and dame honours in Australia

Breaking news on The Age’s website: Tony Abbott reintroduces knight and dame honours for Australians

The loyal Monarchist Tony Abbotts rights the wrongs done under Bob Hawke's ALP government in 1986.

He announced on Tuesday afternoon that up to four knights or dames will be appointed in any year.

Tuesday, 25th March 2014

Prime Minister's announcement:

On my recommendation, Her Majesty the Queen has amended the Letters Patent constituting the Order of Australia.

Knights and Dames in the Order of Australia will be approved by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

There may be up to four Knights or Dames created in any year.

This special recognition may be extended to Australians of “extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit” in their service to Australia or to humanity at large.

Henceforth, the serving Governor-General will be the principal Knight or Dame in the Order of Australia.

The first new Dame will be the outgoing Governor-General.

The first new Knight will be the incoming Governor-General.

It is fitting that the Queen’s representative be so honoured.

Invariably, Governors-General have been extraordinary and pre-eminent servants of the Australian people.

My intention is that this new award will go to those who have accepted public office rather than sought it; and who can never, by virtue of the office they have held, entirely return to private life.

The Chairman of the Order of Australia Council will be consulted on any such recommendation.

This change will not affect existing Companions, Officers or Members of the Order of Australia.

I congratulate Her Excellency the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO and the Governor-General Designate, General Peter Cosgrove AC MC, on this acknowledgement of their service to our country.

25th March 2014

General Peter Cosgrove, AC, MC nominated as Australia's 26th Governor-General

The Queen of Australia with General Peter Cosgrove, AM, MC at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, in October 2011.

Retired defence chief General Peter Cosgrove, AC, MC has been nominated as Australia's next governor-general by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The ceremonial role, as representative of Queen Elizabeth II, involves opening parliament, giving assent to laws and receiving official visitors.

General Cosgrove will become the 26th governor-general of Australia. Governor-General Quentin Bryce's term will end in March.

The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on advice of Her Majesty's Australian prime minister.

After Prince Harry's success in Sydney ...

The Australian republicans are funny. No, that’s not correct, that would assume they have a sense of humour. But they make Monarchists smile, when they start complaining about divisive politics. They, of all people should know how divisve they can be.
 

Prince Harry among the Abbott family.

What upset the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) was Prime Minister Tony Abbott welcome to Prince Harry last Saturday in Sydney. He said: "I regret to say that not every Australian is a monarchist, but today everyone feels like a monarchist. You grace us as your family has graced our nation from its beginning. It is quite fitting on a day such as this when we think back over 100 years of the Royal Australian Navy that you are here as the crown is a symbol of continuity, decency, stability in our public life."

It was clear – and Tony Abbott knew that in advance – that the republicans would not agree and they would opject to every single word of his speech. And they fell into the trap and started a protest. Had they kept silent or made a funny remark about their inclusion as secret Monarchists, well, they may have gained some points. But they behaved as could be expected. ARM’s chairman Geoff Gallop called Mr. Abbott’s welcome speech "totally inappropriate". "The Fleet Review was a day for all Australians to celebrate, whatever their views on the Constitution, and certainly not a day for divisive comments from the Prime Minister. It is in order to defend Australia, not Buckingham Palace, that the navy exists. Of this the Prime Minister needs to be reminded."

The Romans knew: Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses (In English: If you had remained silent, you would have remained a philosopher), but keeping silent is not the republicans’ cup of tea. And certainly they do not want to be seen as philosophers.

Prince Harry was a crowd puller in Sydney.