Today is a public holiday (ANZAC Day) where we remember the efforts of our past…
My blog is on holiday today
Today is a public holiday in the parts of Australia that I live and I have travel commitments. So I’ll be back on Thursday. What is this holiday about?
Yes, it is deeply embarrassing but today is the King’s Birthday holiday in Australia that is meant to celebrate our glorious head of state, given that we are still legally tied to Britain and the King’s representative in Canberra can sack a democratically elected Australian government if he wants.
And of course it has happened before, cue the – 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis – which had nothing to a constitutional crisis and everything to do with the conservatives aided by the CIA and, finally, the Queen of England (as our head of state), disliking a progressive government that was threatening to take back control of American spy bases on Australian soil.
Here is our current head of state in all his glory.
And – Tampongate – aka as Camillagate was the King in his full glory.
And in Australia we apparently pay homage to this character as our head of state.
Anyway, it is the King’s Birthday holiday so he is useful for something.
The workers get a paid day off to have fun.
That is enough for today!
(c) Copyright 2026 William Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.
Bill
in case you want and missed this
Mark Diesendorf
The myth of the balanced budget
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/06/the-myth-of-the-balanced-budget/
best wishes
Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Australia and his other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth
It would make sense to remove the British King from the Australian constitution IMO but, even so, it wouldn’t change anything very much. A 1975 type crisis could still re-occur if there was political disagreement between a head of state and the Parliament, The possibility would be even greater if there were an elected President.
Th Australia Governor-general is selected by the Australian prime minister, but formally appointed by the monarch of Australia, the same monarch as we have in Britain, on the Australian prime minister’s advice.
To be fair to ex Queen Elizabeth it wasn’t her direct involvement which caused the 1975 crisis. Whitlam himself effectively appointed Sir John Kerr. The dispute was between the two of them.
I like the Irish Presidential system. I dislike any institutional privilege (our current system). The latter entrenches an acceptance of privilege which is antithetical to equity.
The ARM made a serious blunder in 1999 by promoting a system that many republicans opposed. It then had the temerity to criticise any republicans who voted ‘no’ on the basis that it was more important that Australia became a Republic than worry about the nature of the Presidential system. If that was the case, why didn’t they promote a system that had the best chance of succeeding in the referendum (I.e., a popularly elected Head of State, which is the only true Republic)?
In more recent times, the ARM have pushed for a plebiscite, which would play right into the hands of the monarchists (I.e., once you’ve decided to be a Republic, what sort of Republic will you get?) and fail just as miserably as the 1999 referendum. I don’t envisage Australia becoming a Republic in my lifetime (sadly).