14 March

An unexpected observation by a woman about the desirability of an Australian Republic? The Queen makes a short speech at a formal dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra in which she describes Australia as “a great country” and “a key global player in the twenty-first century, a voice of wisdom and honesty, a tough and dependable operator” which is widely interpreted – more in Britain than in Australia – that it is time for “constitutional change”, with the subtext: that it is time to become a republic. The speech is made from the perspective of an outside observer. Reactions to the content vary but some Australian commentators find it patronising.