Australia not likely to see constitutional change in near future

Australia's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday touched down in Canberra to start her 10- days visit to Australia, and the visit has reinvigorated the debate on whether Australia should become a republic. This is the Queen's 16th royal visit to Australia as monarch, and there are some saying that it might be time to think about whether constitutional monarchy is appropriate for Australia, as it may be her last visit to Australia given her 85 years. However, opinion polls showed Australia still remain a royalist nation. Polls had consistently shown about 60 percent Australians favored a republic, but ahead of the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in April, support fell to a 17-year low. Ahead of the Queen's visit, an opinion poll earlier this week revealed support for the monarchy in Australia had risen to 55 percent of the population, while support for a republic was at its lowest level in 23 years at 34 percent. Diana, was much loved in Australia and her son Prince William' s popularity has also been a welcome shot in the arm for the royalist movement, which has reported a surge in young members following his visit to Australia early this year. While Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her ruling Labor party said the ultimate goal is for Australia to become a republic, chairman of the Australian Republican Movement (ARM), Mike Keating, said having the queen as Australia's head of state was antiquated, but acknowledged the situation was not likely to change any time soon. "Obviously at the moment the government is focused on bigger issues and not on a republic," he said in a statement on Wednesday. High-profile republican and federal MP Malcolm Turnbull said that the best time to revisit the debate would be after the Queen' s reign end, and Coalition finance spokesman Andrew Robb, a former prominent republic campaigner, said Her Majesty's visit to Australia would not necessarily be her last. "She's very healthy and energetic so who knows? She may be back again," Robb told reporters in Canberra. While Australian federal government itself is facing pressure over glooming polls, and is struggling to deal with the world economy downturn and its controversial broader protection policy, Robb said the Queen's visit should not be an excuse to push for constitutional change and there were more important issues than the monarchy. "We've got major issues that this country has to focus on," he said. "We don't need more distractions like a debate on a republic. " Since Federation on Jan. 1, 1901, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm, which has Elizabeth II as its monarch. With the British monarch as Australia's head of state, the British has the power to approve the abolition of parliament, which happened in 1975 toppling the then government.