Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the bill moved by the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for the Public Service for the purposes that it is needed—to update our Australian legislation. The Crown References Amendment Bill 2023 is necessary to update references to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in acts of parliament now that His Majesty King Charles III has become the King of Australia. Obviously, by that I mean, 'King Charles III, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of his other realms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith', although I do note that, as a Catholic, I don't think the King is defending my faith.

The accession of King Charles III to the British throne, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, creates an inconsistency among Commonwealth legislation that references the head of state, due to the persistent mortality that breaks that every now and then with our monarchs. This becomes an issue every time the sex of our head of state—who, I remind the House, lives on the other side of the world—changes from a female sovereign to a male sovereign. The fact that this legislation is necessary shows me how outdated monarchies are as systems of governance in the modern world.

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