Australian referendum on a republic will wait

Significance

The accession of King Charles III has revived a debate over whether Australia should continue with the monarchy as head of state or move towards a presidential system.

Impacts

• Wary of inciting divisions, the government will not act until it can claim a clear public mandate on the issue.
• Disagreement over the preferred republican model will continue to undermine reform efforts.
• Discussion of a possible abuse of power by the monarch’s representative might give a small boost to calls for change.