As two future Kings of England (William and his baby son George) arrived in Australia this week, it appears support for ditching the British Monarchy and replacing it with a Republic, is at a 15 year low. I know some people may well call me cynical, but surely this pro-monarchy trend can't last can it?
It was in the 1990s when the then Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating set the wheels in motion for a referendum to be held on Australia becoming a republic. Keating famously said it was time that Australia's next Head of State would be "one of us!" When that referendum was held in 1999, nearly 55% of the Australian people voted against.
If Australia is still so much against becoming a republic, maybe the time has come to consider a new approach. Maybe the time has come for Australia to look into creating it's own monarchy? Perhaps the Aussies could create some once in a lifetime reality tv programme, which would determine who would earn the right to start this new hereditary monarchy.
As much as some people would label monarchies to be anachronisms or unmeritocratic, monarchies do offer a point of political neutrality in which prime ministers of different political persuasions can build trust. This arguably contributes towards political stability.
What a monarch cannot do is follow the example of Spain's King Juan Carlos, by taking an elephant hunting holiday at a time of economic austerity. In the 21st Century, the monarch needs to become more of a figure head.
So who could become the first monarch in a new Australian monarchy? Perhaps Australia could import some hanger-on from the House of Windsor to keep the connection? Or if they want one of "their own," perhaps none other than Paul Keating himself?
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