The Constitutional Role of the Queen of Australia

Abstract

When the Australian federation came into existence in 1901 the same King ruled throughout the British Empire. The Crown was indivisible. The Australian Commonwealth Constitution reflected that political and legal reality. That reality has undergone considerable change in the last century. The Empire no longer exists, although some of the former dominions and colonies remain monarchies. The Queen is now monarch of 15 separate and independent nations, including Australia. In so far as Australia is concerned, these developments raise a number of practical and constitutional issues. These issues relate both to the relationship of the Australian monarchy with those other monarchies which share the same Queen and to the role of the Australian monarch within the Australian federation. Some of those issues are explored in this paper.