According to Chris Mitchell’s new book – he being the former editor of The Australian newspaper – Tony Abbott told him that the Queen ‘had made it known’ (to the then Prime Minister whose honours system it was) that she wished for Prince Phillip to receive a knighthood because he had received few honours from our country. If so, our head of state in distant England, who supposedly plays next to no part in the conduct of our Government, must have been mortified to find this information publicly circulating in her most republic-leaning realm.There was no comment from London including about conflict of interest or secret lobbying of HM’s own PM for personal gain. The fact is that the Queen spends a lot of time awarding members of her family and court personal honours (see, for instance, Wikipedia entry on the Order of the Bath). This is a compelling reason why we should unburden ourselves of the monarchy and its archaic, self-interested, incestuous practices that sit so uncomfortably with a modern, unfettered, classless nation like Australia. We’re done with queens, kings, fealty and all that goes with it. [“Tony Abbott said Queen wanted knighthood for Prince Phillip according to Chris Mitchell’s book” by Renee Viellaris, The Courier-Mail, 15 September 2016 – link below]
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
