Who Replaces an Infirm Head of State?

The revelation that Australia’s Head of State, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, is afflicted by cancer and undergoing treatment led to a flurry of speculation about what an infirm and incapable HoS would mean for his Australian Government. Professor Anne Twomey provides a comprehensive run-down and assessment of the Australian King’s powers that can’t be delegated, principal among them the approval of the Prime Minister’s recommendation for the vice-regal onshore representative – a decision on the new G-G will be required in the first half of the year. The legalities are complex, arcane and differ for the UK itself and each former Dominion but are not insurmountable except for those powers that can’t be delegated. Professor Twomey questions how well prepared the Federal Government is to deal with such a situation and urges the Government to do some immediate legal updating and housekeeping on our monarch’s powers if incapacitated. However, such a situation did not arise with Charles recovering and back at work in a couple of months while planning for the royal visit in October continued apace. [“What happens if King Charles can no longer perform his duties?” by Anne Twomey, The Conversation, 6 February 2024]