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Mark Dreyfus, a former cabinet minister for the Labor Party, has passionately called on the Albanese government to take bold steps toward establishing a republic and extending electoral terms to four years. Dreyfus, who recently experienced a demotion to the backbench following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet reshuffle, delivered his stirring remarks during a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Reflecting on the Labor Party’s storied legacy in advocating for constitutional reforms, Dreyfus praised the significant efforts of past governments led by Whitlam, Fisher, and Hawke. He highlighted their dedication to enacting meaningful constitutional changes, setting a precedent he believes the current government should follow.
During his address, Dreyfus urged his fellow party members to embrace a progressive agenda and reignite the campaign to transition Australia into a republic. He emphasized the evolving nature of the nation and its citizens, stating, “Australia and Australians have changed in many ways over the past quarter century.”
As a representative of Isaacs, Dreyfus’s comments serve as a rallying cry for the government to pursue these ambitious constitutional objectives, ensuring that the spirit of reform remains alive within the Labor Party.
“Australia and Australians have changed in many ways over the past quarter century,” he told the audience.
“In my view, it is time, past time, for Australia to break its residual constitutional ties with the United Kingdom and its monarchy.”
Establishing a republic would mean an Australian would replace King Charles as the head of state.
It would also make Australia independent from the United Kingdom.
There has been a long push for Australia to become a republic, following a failed referendum on the topic in 1999.
Dreyfus had used his inaugural speech in the House of Representatives when he was elected in 2008 to say he would vote in favour of amending the constitution to establish one.
Dreyfus last night said Australia’s failure to become independent from the monarch would leave early Labor figures “mightily disappointed”.
Albanese has refrained from pursuing any more referendums after the failed Voice to Parliament campaign in 2023.
He most recently dismissed calls for a referendum to establish a republic after his private meeting with King Charles in Scotland in September.
“I think I’ve made it clear that I wanted to hold one referendum while I was prime minister, and we did that,” he said at the time.
Albanese added that the monarch was “very interested in Australia”.
Dreyfus acknowledged the party-wide dismay of the failure of the Voice, admitting that it was “one of the greatest disappointments of my public life”.
But he said Labor has “never given up” on referendums and hoped that the party could “return to the process of formally amending our constitution”.
Dreyfus also called for the federal government to adopt four-year terms “sooner rather than later”.
“All Australian states and territories have adopted four-year terms,” he said.
“We are also an outlier in world terms, with just six of 186 nations with active legislatures having three-year terms.”
Albanese has supported the “common sense” notion of a four-year national term but said he required bipartisan support.
Former prime minister John Howard earlier this month called on Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to work with Albanese on establishing four-year terms.
“It’s ludicrous you’ve got four-year terms in all the states, but the national parliament doesn’t. It’s just crazy,” he told the ABC.